LIBRARY  OF  TRINCaCr^ 

NOV  2  8  2000 

f 

THECLOGiCAl  SEk.lKhhi 

The  Positive  Note 
in  Christianity 


The  Positive  Note 
in  Christianity  /^  °' 

(        APR    1 


Lectures 

Delivered  in  the  Memorial  Baptist  Church,  Philadelphia, 

in  Connection  with  the  Celebration  of  Its  Fiftieth 

Anniversary  in  the  Fall  and  Winter  of  1917 


Philadelphia 

THE  GRIFFITH  AND  ROWLAND  PRE55 

Boston  Chicago  St.  Louis  New  York 

Los  An^ales  Kansas  City  Toronto  Vi  innipe^ 


THIS    BOOK    IS    DEDICATED 
TO 

OF 

MEMORIAL  CHURCH 

WHO    MADE    ITS    PUBLICATION    POSSIBLE 


FOREWORD 


This  preface  was  spoken  by  the  pastor  as  in- 
troductory to  the  course  of  lectures  to  the  public. 

During  all  the  while  in  the  last  fifty  years  the 
present  world  war  has  been  in  the  making,  from 
Schleswig-Holstein  to  Sarajevo.  In  the  imme- 
diate event  of  the  war  the  world  saw  Chris- 
tianity on  the  defensive.  Vast  strata  in  the  struc- 
ture of  the  world's  civilization  have  been  shifted 
among  the  nations  in  this  time.  Empires  have 
trembled  in  the  fear  of  ruin;  monarchs  have 
grown  pale  at  the  stalking  figure  of  world  democ- 
racy. The  church  itself,  in  the  moments  of  the 
world's  worst  paroxysms,  has  been  charged  with 
failure  and  weakness  and  pathetic  invalidism. 
Anxious  care  has  all  but  corroded  the  heart  of 
Christianity  itself.  And  because  men  have  waited 
for  all  the  churches  to  speak  out  plainly  and  sound 
their  trumpet  blast,  this  series  of  addresses  has 
been  planned  by  this  church  after  fifty  years  of 
continuous  history  to  sound  the  positive  note  in 
Christianity. 

Natives  of  Scotland  say  to  us  that  to  hear  the 
best  music  of  the  bagpipes  one  must  be  a  half 
mile  away.     When  the  evening  hour  in  the  sum- 

vii 


Vin  FOREWORD 

mer  twilight  is  on,  and  from  the  meadows  in  the 
valley  far  away  there  comes  the  music  of  the  bag- 
pipes blending  all  of  the  harmonies  of  heaven,  so 
beautiful  is  the  distant  melody  that  one  is  lulled 
to  sleep  by  its  charm  and  quieted  to  dreams  by  its 
song.  But  when  their  soldiers  need  to  be  thrilled 
and  moved  and  inspired,  the  bagpipes  are  brought 
near  with  blatant  voice  and  raucous  notes, 
screaming,  shrieking,  bursting,  ecstatic,  in  wild 
confusion  of  sound,  but  thrilling  the  soul  and 
stirring  soldiers  to  any  charge  by  which  the 
Scotsman  may  go  out  and  take  the  world.  The 
charm  of  Germany's  intrigue  to  bid  farewell  to 
Jesus  has  all  but  lulled  the  church  into  a  fatal 
sleep;  but  now  Christianity  is  again  moved  and 
stirred :  and  these  lectures  are  an  attempt  to  set 
forth  the  fundamental  positive  notes  of  our  faith. 
Christianity  is  not  even  obscured  by  the  red  mist 
that  rises  out  of  the  trenches  of  war.  Christianity 
is  at  its  flush  meridian.  Christians  stand  to-day 
with  head  erect,  unbowed,  uneowed,  unbludg- 
eoned  by  the  cudgel  of  gibing  philosophies;  posi- 
tive that  the  voice  of  the  Christ  can  alone  bring 
the  world  back  to  itself.  This  course  of  lectures 
sounds  our  note  of  certainty. 


CONTENTS 

Page 

The  Finality  of  Jesus i 

Edwin  McNeill  Poteat,  D.  D. 

The  Unimpeached  Bible 1 1 

William  Holloway  Main,  D.  D. 

The  Chivalry  of  Service ^;^ 

Carter  Helm  Jones,  D.  D. 

Our  Lord  and  Master 49 

Robert  E.  Speer,  D.  D. 

Personal  Responsibility 69 

T.  Edwin  Brown,  D.  D. 

The  Church  and  the  Child 87 

E.  B.  Pollard,  Ph.  D. 

Christianity  the  Only  World  Religion.     97 
Milton  G.  Evans,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Christianity  the  Great  International- 
ist     123 

James  H.  Franklin,  D.  D. 

The   Spiritual   Interpretation   of   the 

Ordinances 145 

Edgar  Young  Mullins,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

ix 


X  CONTENTS 

Page 

The  Manifold  Coronation  of  Our  Di- 
vine Lord 163 

Robert  Stuart  MacArthur,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Baptists  and  Education 187 

Ernest  D.  Burton,  D.  D. 

Christians  and  Church-membership.  ...   211 
Curtis  Lee  Laws,  D.  D. 

The  Fact  of  the  Resurrection 231 

William  Russell  Owen,  D.  D. 

Historical  Sketch  of  the  Memorial 
Baptist  Church  of  Philadelphia. 
Read  on  the  Twenty-fifth  Anni- 
versary OF  Its  Organization 247 

Charles  H.  Harrison. 

Commemoration   of   the   Twenty-fifth 

Anniversary 28^ 

Historical    Sketch    of    the    Memorial 

Baptist  Church,  1892-1917 291 

Edith  M.  Casselberry. 

Fiftieth  Anniversary 311 

Statistical  Record  of  Memorial  Church 

for  Fifty  Years 316 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Pacb 

Memorial  Baptist  Church,  Philadelphia. 

Frontispiece 

P.  S.  Henson,  Pastor,  iSdy-iSSi 20 

Thomas  M.  Greene,  Deacon,  iSdy-igiy . ...     44 

Wayland  Hoyt,  Pastor,   1882-188^;  Stated 

Supply,  1904,  1905 64 

Ezekiel   Gilman   Robinson,    Stated   Supply, 

i8po p2 

T.  Edzvin  Brozvn,  Pastor,  1890- 189 5 116 

B.  L.  Whitman,  Stated  Supply,  1896,  189^.  .    140 

Edwin  McNeill  Poteat,  Pastor,  1898-190^. .    168 

Edzvard  Bagby  Pollard,  Stated  Supply,  1906.   194 

William  Hollozvay  Main,  Pastor,  190/^-1916.  218 

William  Russell  Owen,  Pastor,  19 ly- 2^6 


XI 


THE  FINALITY  OF  JE5U5 

EDWIN  McNeill  poteat,  d.  d. 

President,  Furman  University 


I  Tim.  2:5;  Rev.  5:9,   10 
1.  4:4;   Matt.  21  :  2)7 \   I7 
Matt.  24  :  35-  --  -  " 


;  Heb.   i  :  1-4;  9  :  12,  26; 


Gal.  4:4;   Matt.  21  :  37;   17  :  5 ;  John   i  :  1-18;    12 
;;  II  :  25-30;  7  :  24-27. 


THE  FINALITY  OF  JESUS 


The  fourth  and  fifth  chapters  of  the  Revelation 
are  among  the  most  gorgeous  in  the  Bible.  The 
emerald-cinctured  throne,  the  four  living  crea- 
tures, the  twenty-four  elders,  the  sealed  book,  the 
slain  lamb,  the  whole  creation — no  wonder  the 
seer  prostrated  himself.  And  no  wonder  he 
wept  when  the  assembled  universe  acknowledged 
itself  baffled  in  the  presence  of  the  sealed  mystery 
in  the  hand  of  Him  who  sat  upon  the  throne.  A 
moment  later  when,  upon  the  promise  of  the 
angel,  he  watched  to  see  a  lion  emerge,  lo!  a 
lamb.  And  now  we  see  through  the  symbolism 
of  the  passage  the  nature  world  ( four  living  crea- 
tures), the  world  of  human  intelligence  (the  four 
and  twenty  elders),  and  the  whole  creation 
(angels,  every  created  thing  in  heaven,  on  earth, 
under  the  earth,  on  the  sea),  unite  to  worship  the 
Slain  Lamb,  who  because  he  is  the  Redeemer  is 
able  to  open  the  sealed  book. 

What  is  here  said  in  the  spectacular  and  dra- 
matic manner  of  the  apocalypse,  is  said  in  plain 
prose  by  Paul  in  his  first  letter  to  Timothy 
(i  Tim.  2:5):  God  is  one  (not  many),  the  Me- 
diator is  one  (not  many).     Redemption  is  not  a 

3 


4  THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

process  but  a  deed,  accomplished  '^  once  for  all  '^ 
(Heb.  9  :  26).  ''  Once  at  the  end  of  the  ages 
hath  he  been  manifested  to  put  away  sin  by  the 
sacrifice  of  himself." 

Thus  the  early  believers  set  forth  the  finality 
of  Jesus  as  Redeemer  and  Teacher  of  men.  And 
it  is  to  be  noted  that  he  is  not  a  redeemer  by 
means  of  his  teaching;  he  is  Teacher  because  he 
was  first  and  last  and  all  the  time  Redeemer.  The 
author  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  in  a  pas- 
sage cited  above  acknowledges  that  the  prophets 
were  sent  from  God,  but  their  message  was  par- 
tial and  incomplete.  He  acknowledges  the  minis- 
try of  angels  in  the  old  dispensation  and  cele- 
brates the  glory  of  Moses.  But  he  is  writing 
his  letter  to  say  of  the  Son  that  he  is  heir  of  all 
things,  that  he  is  the  creator  of  the  ages,  that  he 
is  the  sustainer  of  the  universe,  that  he  is  the 
cleanser  of  sins,  that  he  is  the  effulgence  and  die- 
stamp  of  the  substance  of  God,  and  that  when  he 
had  accomplished  his  work  on  earth  he  sat  down 
on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  in  heaven. 

In  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration  the  frightened 
disciples  heard  a  voice  saying,  *'  This  is  my  be- 
loved Son,  hear  him."  To-day  many  conflicting 
voices  are  heard.  Mr.  Bernard  Shaw,  for  exam- 
ple, says  the  Golden  Rule  is  that  there  is  no  golden 
rule.  Mr.  Paul  Bourget  says,  "  Science  renders 
impK>ssible  any  belief  in  supernatural  revelation, 
and  at  the  same  time  proclaims  itself  impotent  to 


THE    FINALITY    OF    JESUS  5 

solve    the    problem    which    revelation    formerly 
solved."     H-erbert   Spencer    ("Autobiography," 
ad  Hn.)  confesses  that  the  naturalistic  interpreta- 
tion of  the  universe  has  failed,  finds  himself  un- 
able to  accept  the  conclusions  offered  by  religion, 
but  wishing  "  that  conclusions  might  be  found." 
Tolstoy  protested  in  his  book  entitled  "  Resur- 
rection "   that  man   is   his  own   redeemer,    and 
therefore  needs  no  other.      Chesterton  says  of 
Ibsen   that  he  returned   from  the  quest  of  the 
mystery  and  reported  failure.     Mr.  Britling  (H. 
G.  Wells)  sitting  dazed  before  the  spectacle  of  a 
blase  scientific  civilization  plunging  into  the  abyss 
of  war,  acknowledges  ''  cosmic  solicitudes  " ;  and 
he  says  of  these  vast  anxieties  that  "  they  are,  it 
may  be,  the  last  penalty  of  irreligion."    And  even 
Mr.  Bernard  Shaw  appears  in  a  recent  book  to 
be  passing  into  a  new  phase.     In  his  preface  tO' 
''  Androcles  and  the  Lion  "  he  asks,  ''  Why  not 
give  Christianity  a  trial  ?  "  The  question,  he  says, 
*'  seems  a  hopeless  one  after  two  thousand  years 
of  resolute  adherence  to  the  old  cry  of  *  Not  this 
man,  but  Barabbas,'  yet  it  is  beginning  to  look  as 
if  Barabbas  was  a  failure  in  spite  of  his  strong 
right  hand,  his  victories,  his  empires,  his  millions 
of  money,  and  his  moralities  and  churches  and 
political  constitutions.     *  This  man  '  has  not.  been 
a   failure  yet;   for  nobody  has  even  been  sure 
enough  to  try  his  way."    And  with  his  mild  in- 
tellectual arrogance,  which  is  not  without  a  touch 

B 


6  THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

of  disdain,  Mr.  Shaw  goes  on :  *'  I  am  no  more  a 
Christian  than  are  you,  gentle  reader;  yet,  like 
Pilate,  I  prefer  Jesus  to  Caiaphas  and  Annas,  and 
I  am  ready  to  admit  that  after  contemplating  the 
world  and  human  nature  for  over  sixty  years,  I 
see  no  way  out  of  the  world's  misery  but  the  way 
which  would  have  been  found  by  Christ's  will  if 
he  had  undertaken  the  work  of  a  modern  practical 
statesman."  And  Mr.  Shaw  actually  proceeds  to 
exhort  us  all  that  we  should  live  by  the  law  of 
love  alone. 

Above  this  babel  of  conflicting  voices  the  voice 
of  the  New  Testament  believers  rings  high  and 
clear:  We  need  not  remain  forever  in  uncer- 
tainty; at  least  One  Mind  saw  through  the  tan- 
gle, and  he  in  the  strong  confidence  of  one  who 
walked  always  in  the  light  calls  to  us  his  high 
assurance  that  we  were  not  meant  to  be  put  to 
permanent  intellectual  confusion. 

So  never  miss  I  footing  in  the  maze; 
I  have  the  light,  nor  fear  the  dark  at  all. 

The  Chaldean  astrologers,  the  savants  of  Bel- 
shazzar's  court,  babbling  learned  nonsense  before 
an  authentic  word  from  God,  did  not  mean  that 
Mene,  Mene,  Tekel,  Upharsin  could  not  be  inter- 
preted ;  and  when  Daniel  was  brought  in  the 
meaning  was  made  plain.  And  the  men  of  to- 
day who  are  baffled  by  the  mystery  of  the  uni- 
verse and  the  perplexities  of  human  life  on  this 


THE    FINALITY   OF   JESUS  7 

planet,  must  surely  come  at  last  to  see  Jesus  and 
to  listen  to  him. 

Hushed  be  the  noise  and  the  strife  of  the  schools, 
Volume  and  pamphlet,  sermon  and  speech, 

The  lips  of  the  wise  and  the  prattle  of  fools — 
Let  the  Son  of  man  teach ! 

Prof.  T.  R.  Glover,  in  his  fascinating  little 
book,  "  The  Jesus  of  History,"  insists  that  Jesus 
outlived,  outthought,  and  outdied  the  ancient 
world.  And  it  follows  that  he  is  the  final  author- 
ity for  the  modern  world,  the  faithful  witness,  the 
firstborn  from  the  dead,  and  the  Prince  of  all 
kings  of  the  earth.  (Rev.  1:5.) 

In  him  we  have  our  redemption,  the  forgive- 
ness of  our  sins  through  faith  in  his  blood. 

In  him  we  have  our  teacher,  who  himself  said, 
''  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  my  word 
shall  not  pass  away  "  (Matt.  24  :  35). 

In  him  we  have  the  leader  of  the  ages,  who 
from  the  head  of  the  procession  still  calls  to  all 
the  sons  of  men  of  the  twentieth  century  as  of 
the  first,  "  Follow  me." 

/.  The  Unality  of  Jesus  as  Redeemer. 

The  New  Testament  believers  put  redemption 
first.  The  preaching  of  the  apostles  and  the  let- 
ters of  Paul  were  mainly  occupied  with  expound- 
ing the  redemption  which  was  in  Messiah  Jesus. 
The  Gospels  come  after,  and  were  written  mainly 
to  preserve  the  record  of  the  life  and  the  words  of 


8  THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

the  Master  in  whom  redemption  had  been 
achieved.  And  men  who  find  the  substance  of 
Christianity  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  rather 
than  in  the  cross  and  the  empty  tomb,  misread  the 
documents  of  the  Christian  faith  and  throw  the 
whole  New  Testament  into  confusion.  Apart 
from  the  cancelation  of  sin  at  the  cross,  and  the 
release  of  the  soul  from  bondage  into  peace  there 
effected,  the  teaching  of  Jesus  is  a  doom  and  not 
a  salvation.  The  redeemed  are  happier  than  the 
enlightened.  Witness  Bunyan  and  Tolstoy. 
Bunyan  lost  his  burden  at  the  cross,  but  Tolstoy 
as  an  old  man  confessed  that  the  sins  of  his  youth 
returned  often  to  torture  him  like  a  nightmare. 
One  cannot  wonder  at  this  in  a  man  who  ac- 
cepted ''  Resist  not  evil,"  but  denied  the  redemp- 
tion and  the  resurrection.  The  characteristic 
difference  between  the  Christian  mind  and  the 
non-Christian  mind,  of  whatever  type,  is  an  esti- 
mate of  and  an  attitude  toward  the  cross  of 
Christ.  Paul  puts  this  difference  for  all  time  in 
the  familiar  statement,  "  The  word  of  the  cross 
is  to  them  that  are  perishing  foolishness,  but  unto 
us  who  are  being  saved  it  is  the  power  of  God  " 
(i  Cor.  I  :  i8).  And  there  is  no  salvation  in 
any  other. 

//.  The  finality  of  Jesus  as  Teacher. 

He  who  died  for  us  that  he  might  reconcile 
us  to  God  has  the  sole  right  to  be  our  teacher,  to 


THE    FINALITY    OF    JESUS  9 

tell  US  about  Gk)d,  about  ourselves,  about  sin, 
about  death,  about  eternal  life.  And  he  was  so 
fully  assured  that  his  words  are  truth  and  life 
that  he  boldly  classifies  men  into  two  groups — 
those  who  hear  his  words  and  do  them,  and  those 
who  hear  his  words  and  do  them  not.  The  first 
are  like  a  man  who  built  his  house  on  a  rock,  and 
the  second  are  like  the  man  who  built  his  house 
upon  the  sand.  (Matt.  7  :  24-29.)  This  can 
mean  nothing  less  than  that  the  course  of  prog- 
ress for  civilization  lies  in  the  lines  of  his  think- 
ing about  God  and  man. 

///.  The  finality  of  Jesus  as  Leader. 

His  word  to  the  disciples  on  the  lakeshore, 
*'  Follow  me,"  evoked  the  ready  compliance  of 
young  men  eager  to  enlist  in  a  cause,  but  that 
simplest  statement  of  discipleship  became  in  the 
short  space  of  two  years  and  a  half  the  severest 
test  of  devotion  when  they  discovered  that  his 
way  led  straight  to  the  cross. 

He  is  still  at  the  head  of  the  procession,  and 
they  that  follow  him,  seeing  the  distance  be- 
tween themselves  and  their  Leader,  are  amazed 
and  afraid.  (Mark  10  :  2>^.)  And  now  as  in  the 
days  of  his  flesh  men  fall  out  of  the  ranks, 'deny 
that  they  ever  knew  him,  when  once  they  see 
clearly  the  obligations  they  assume  when  they 
enter  upon  the  career  of  the  followers  of  Jesus. 
For  we  now  see  that  the  Cross    (redemption) 


lO        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

means  democracy,  justice,  brotherhood.  At  last 
the  social  implications  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Cross 
have  become  plain,  and  we  know  that  our  Re- 
deemer cannot  be  satisfied  until  every  man  en- 
joys (by  virtue  of  his  bare  humanity)  his  pre- 
rogative of  direct  access  to  God,  until  he  has  set 
judgment  in  the  earth,  and  until  men  shall  broth- 
ers be  the  world  over.    To-day  as  never  before, 

He  has  sounded  forth  the  trumpet  that  shall  never  call 
retreat ; 

He  is  sifting  out  the  hearts  of  men  before  his  judgment- 
seat, 

Oh,  be  swift,  my  soul,  to  answer  him!    Be  jubilant  my 
feet, 

Our  God  is  marching  on. 


THE  UNIMPEACHED  BIBLE 

WILLIAM  HOLLOWAY  MAIN,  D.  D. 

Pastor,  First  Baptist  Church,  Chlca^ 


THE  UNIMPEACHED  BIBLE 


This  is  the  subject  that  has  been  assigned  to  me 
as  my  contribution  to  these  jubilee  services. 

To  impeach  is  to  call  in  question,  accuse  of 
error,  disparage,  bring  discredit  on. 

We  believe  we  have  an  unimpeached  Bible  be- 
cause it  has  stood  the  test  of  time,  and  that  it 
has  stood  the  test  of  time  because  it  is  the  in- 
spired word  of  God;  that  it  is  unimpeached  be- 
cause it  has  stood  the  test  of  modern  scholarship 
and  discoveries;  and  last,  but  not  the  least,  it  has 
stood  the  test  of  our  soul's  greatest  need. 

We  love  and  believe  our  Bible,  for  it  is  a  reve- 
lation from  God.  From  beginning  to  end  it 
teaches  the  doctrine  of  one  God.  And  the  world 
was  full  of  gods!  Roman  satirists  said  of  an- 
cient Athens,  **  It  is  easier  to  find  a  god  than  a 
man."  In  spite  of  their  surroundings,  the  sacred 
writers  continued  to  say,  "  There  is  only  one 
God."  The  doctrine  of  one  God  is  to  triumph, 
and  the  Bible  is  now  recognized  as  the  most  won- 
derful book  in  the  world. 

The  Bible  has  stood  the  test  of  time. 

It  took  about  fifteen  hundred  years  to  complete 
the  Bible,  yet  it  has  a  wonderful  unity. 

13 


14        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

A  writer,  in  a  little  poem,  speaks  of  the  mighty 
scholars  of  the  past,  who  worked  with  laborious 
pen,  piling  up  books  which  they  thought  would  be 
read  in  future  ages.  But  now  the  cobwebs  bind 
their  pages  and  the  volumes  lie  moldering  peace- 
fully : 

Coffined  thought  of  coffined  men — 

Never  more  to  stir  again 

In  the  passion  and  the  strife, 

In  the  fleeting  forms  of  life; 

All  their  force  and  meaning  gone 

As  the  stream  of  thought  flows  on. 

But  how  the  Bible  defies  time !  The  writers  of 
the  Old  Testament  had  slept  in  their  graves  a  cen- 
tury, and  more,  before  Caesar,  Horace,  Cicero, 
and  Virgil  lived. 

The  Bible  has  stood  the  test  of  time  because  it 
is  the  inspired  word  of  God. 

Men  spake  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Verbal  inspiration  would  be  mechanical 
but  divine  dictation  is  not.  Men  who  wrote  were 
not  related  to  divine  thought  as  the  pen  to  the 
hand,  but  God  touched  the  inner  life  of  the  soul 
so  that  his  own  ideas  reappear  in  human  concep- 
tion and  in  human  language.  In  repeating  the 
words  of  a  message  without  comprehending  the 
thought,  one  is  liable  to  more  error  than  when 
his  heart  and  soul  understand  the  meaning,  and 
every  word  he  speaks,  whether  accurately  re- 
peated or  not,  bears  upon  the  true  interpretation. 


THE    UNIMPEACHED    BIBLE  1 5 

The  man  who  best  interpreted  Christ  was  the 
man  who  knew  the  most  of  his  inner  life.  The 
Scriptures  are,  of  course,  a  record  of  a  revelation, 
but  this  in  no  wise  lessens  their  inspiration,  for 
the  record  interprets  the  revelation.  It  is  not  the 
mere  statement  of  facts,  but  a  breathing  forth  of 
life  which  makes  the  Bible  the  word  of  God.  In- 
spiration enabled  a  writer  to  be  authoritative  in 
his  particular  sphere,  and  belonged  not  so  much 
to  the  man  as  to  his  religious  office.  When  he  was 
performing  his  distinctive  work  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  was  inspired.  A 
prophet  was  inspired  to  tell  of  coming  events,  and 
in  the  same  manner  the  Spirit  inspired  men  to 
write  other  truths,  and  these  truths  are  infallible. 
Inspiration  did  not  destroy  individuality.  Sacred 
writers  had  authority  to  address  our  religious  na- 
tures. The  apostles  did  not  quote  from  the  Old 
Testament  as  critics,  but  as  religious  teachers 
seeking  to  get  truth  into  the  hearts  of  men.  A 
truth  is  never  harmed  by  presenting  it  in  many 
different  ways.  The  same  discourses  of  our  Lord 
are  differently  reported  by  different  writers,  but 
the  great  essentials  are  not  changed. 

Two  things  we  should  strictly  avoid :  ( i )  Try- 
ing to  make  the  Bible  mean  more  than  it  claims 
to  mean.  Augustine  said  that  the  idea  of  men 
being  on  the  other  side  of  the  earth,  with  their 
feet  opposite  our  feet,  was  contrary  to  Scripture. 
Galileo  was  forced  to  abandon  the  idea  of  the  sun 


£6       THE   POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

being  the  center  of  the  universe  because  the  Bible 
said  that  the  world  is  established,  and  cannot  be 
moved,  and  even  Calvin  thought  that  this  text 
proved  that  the  earth  stands  still  and  the  sun 
moves  around  it.  The  text  had  no  reference  at 
all  to  the  solar  system.  The  Scriptures  were 
never  intended  to  teach  natural  science,  but  to 
reveal  God's  will  and  to  establish  a  rule  of  life  and 
conduct.  We  all  say  that  the  sun  sets,  but  we  all 
know  the  truth  concerning  it.  The  Bible  used 
language  that  could  be  understood  by  the  age  to 
which  it  was  given.  Human  language  is  of  neces- 
sity imperfect,  for  we  cannot  have  one  word  for 
each  distinct  idea.  A  boy  learns  his  letters,  and 
writes  letters  to  his  friends,  and  if  he  studies  hard 
may  become  a  man  of  letters.  Here  are  three  dis- 
tinct ideas  for  one  word  to  cover.  Then  too,  of 
necessity,  language  must  be  figurative  at  times. 
The  streets  of  heaven  are  not  necessarily  gold 
because  we  read  of  gold-paved  streets,  any  more 
than  a  picture  must  have  odor  because  we  call  it 
sweet.  Moses,  inspired  of  God,  wrote  so  that 
men  would  understand  him.  What  he  wrote  was 
the  truth,  no  matter  how  he  wrote  it.  (2)  We 
must  not  make  the  Bible  mean  less  than  it  in- 
tends to  mean.  Now  Moses'  account  of  the  crea- 
tion, simple  as  it  seems  to  be,  has  under  it  the 
great  purpose  of  opposing  the  pantheistic,  poly- 
theistic, and  atheistic  ideas  of  creation,  and  shows 
that  all  existing  things  are  the  work  of  one  self- 


THE   UNIMPEACHED    BIBLE  1 7 

conscious  and  intelligent  God.  Underneath  the 
story  of  the  Garden  of  Eden  lies  the  awful  fact 
of  man's  fall  from  his  high  estate.  God  created 
Adam.  How  long  it  took  we  may  not  know,  but 
God  created  him. 

The  Bible  has  stood  the  test  of  scholarship. 

Of  course  the  books  of  the  Bible  are  colored  by 
the  country  in  which  they  were  written.  Exodus 
is  colored  by  Egyptian  life  and  thought ;  the  New 
Testament  is  colored  by  Greek  and  Roman 
thought;  and  going  back  to  Genesis  we  find  an 
Oriental  influence  everywhere.  It  is  hard  to  fit 
Abraham  into  these  times,  but  when  we  know 
something  of  the  times  in  which  he  lived  we  more 
easily  understand  his  character.  We  now  know 
much  of  the  influences  that  surrounded  his  early 
life.  Ur  of  the  Chaldees  was  a  splendid  and 
flourishing  city  four  thousand  years  ago.  Arts 
and  sciences  were  studied;  astronomers  watched 
the  heavens;  poets  composed  the  hymns;  scribes 
stamped  books  on  clay  tablets,  many  of  which  are 
being  read  to-day.  All  large  cities  had  libraries, 
comprising  works  of  history  and  science.  In  the 
Briti-sh  Museum  is  a  book  of  this  time,  divided 
into  seventy-two  divisions,  the  title  being  "  The 
Observations  of  Bel."  By  an  intelligent  study  of 
the  things  that  throw  light  on  the  sacred  word, 
we  may  learn  more  fully  to  understand  the  truth, 
and  this  knowledge  is  now  within  the  reach  of  alL 


1 8        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

Scholarship  is  ever  unfolding  new  conceptions 
of  truth,  and  we  need  never  fear  for  our  Bible 
because  men  are  applying  modern  methods  of 
study  to  it.  Truth  will  live,  and  true  scholarship 
is  friendly  always  to  truth. 

The  Bible  has  stood  the  test  of  modern  dis- 
coveries. 

One  hundred  years  ago  the  Bible  stood  alone, 
not  a  single  contemporary  document  being 
known.  The  Bible  said  that  Nineveh  was  a  great 
city  in  Assyria,  but  not  a  trace  of  it  could  be 
found.  But  we  can  now  trace  the  history  of  As- 
syria back  two  thousand  years  B.  C,  and  up  to 
the  fall  of  Nineveh.  This  is  not  only  a  general 
history,  but  a  history  of  detail,  the  number  of  in- 
scriptions found  making  possible  an  uninter- 
rupted record  for  centuries.  In  1820  Claudius 
James  Rich  determined  thoroughly  to  examine 
the  mounds  on  the  bank  of  the  Tigris,  the  result 
being  published  in  1836,  shortly  after  his  death. 
The  remains  of  sculptures  and  inscriptions 
brought  by  him  to  Europe  formed  the  basis  of 
the  splendid  collection  in  the  British  Museum.  A 
Frenchman,  P.  E.  Botta,  in  1843-1845,  excavated 
just  north  of  Nineveh,  and  Henry  Austin  Layard 
worked  at  Nimrud,  and  these  excavations  brought 
to  light  a  whole  series  of  Assyrian  palaces  with  a 
great  number  of  sculptures  and  inscriptions  which 
had  been  buried  for  two  thousand  five  hundred 


THE    UNIMPEACHED    BIBLE  I9 

years.  Botta  had  the  good  fortune  to  lay  bare  the 
first  Assyrian  palace,  which  had  been  built  by 
King  Sargon.  It  covered  an  area  of  more  than 
twenty-five  acres,  and  was  probably  the  most 
magnificent  palace  in  the  world.  It  was  enclosed 
by  a  high  wall,  which  had  two  gates  on  each  side. 
Traces  of  small  lakes  were  also  found.  Up  to 
this  time  the  only  mention  of  Sargon  was  in  the 
Old  Testament,  and  by  many  he  was  regarded  as 
a  mythical  character.  Layard  soon  unearthed  five 
other  great  palaces,  and  a  great  number  of  clay 
tablets  upon  which  was  written  the  history  of 
Assyria.  These  tablets  are  not  unlike  an  ordi- 
nary brick,  while  some  of  them  are  cylindrical  in 
shape.  Upon  such  tablets  have  been  found  leg- 
ends of  the  Creation,  the  Fall  of  Man,  and  the 
Deluge.  The  cylinder  telling  of  the  Fall  of  Man 
is  without  words.  There  is  a  group  of  figures, 
and  in  the  center  of  the  group  is  a  tree  from 
which  hangs  some  fruit.  On  one  side  of  the  tree 
is  a  man,  on  the  other  side  a  woman.  Behind  the 
woman,  with  its  head  near  hers,  is  a  serpent. 
This  is  a  very  old  cylinder,  representing  the 
Babylonian  tradition  of  the  Fall  of  Man. 

Next  to  the  Bible  account  of  the  flood,  the 
Babylonian  account  is  best.  The  deluge  tablet 
was  translated  in  1872.  The  lines  which  describe 
the  building  of  the  ship,  however,  are  badly 
broken.  The  whole  tablet  contained  one  hundred 
and  eighty-five  lines.    Now  how  can  we  account 


20        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

for  the  similarity  of  these  traditions  with  the 
account  in  Genesis?  The  cylinder  referred  to 
belongs  to  a  very  early  day  of  the  Chaldean  Em- 
pire. Nor  is  this  the  only  tradition.  An  old 
Greek  legend  practically  covers  the  same  ground. 
In  India  a  like  tradition  is  found,  and  the  Egyp- 
tians speak  of  a  time  when  the  whole  earth  was 
covered  with  blood,  and  the  greater  part  of  man- 
kind was  destroyed.  In  Mexico  have  been  found 
rude  paintings  representing  the  deluge,  and  among 
the  Cree  Indians,  in  the  Arctic  circle,  a  similar 
legend  is  found.  Even  in  the  islands  of  the  south- 
ern ocean  you  will  find  the  same  story.  If  the 
flood  were  not  a  fact,  how  account  for  this  almost 
universal  tradition  ? 

By  these  discoveries  most  of  the  early  rulers 
known  to  us,  and  fourteen  whose  names  were  lost, 
have  been  restored  to  history.  We  now  know 
much  of  the  Semitic  race  even  as  far  back  as  3800 
B.  C.  These  modern  discoveries  also  show  that 
Babylonian  art,  4000  B.  C.,  had  a  neatness  and 
fineness  of  work  far  beyond  a  later  period.  The 
farther  back  we  go,  the  higher  seems  to  have 
been  the  civilization.  Doubtless  the  question  has 
arisen  in  your  minds  as  to  how  these  tablets  can 
be  read.  For  a  long  time  it  was  an  unsolved  mys- 
tery, and  it  was  only  after  much  shrewd  guessing 
that  the  secret  was  revealed. 

A  young  Englishman,  whose  name  was  Raw- 
linson,  an  ofificer  in  the  Persian  army,  in  1835 


p.  5.  HENSON 

Pastor,  1867-1881 


THE    UNIMPEACHED    BIBLE  21 

found  on  the  side  of  a  mountain  a  bas-relief  rep- 
resenting a  king,  before  whom  stood  a  line  of 
captives,  bound  neck  to  neck  with  a  rope.  Near 
this  were  several  columns  of  cuneiform  inscrip- 
tions. With  a  ladder  resting  on  a  fourteen-inch 
ledge,  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the 
ground,  Rawlinson  made  a  copy  of  the  writing. 
In  these  inscriptions,  after  long  study,  he  found 
the  key,  and  translated  the  writing,  and  the  past 
was  compelled  to  give  up  its  secrets.  Soon  schol- 
ars began  to  read  the  tablets,  but  of  course  there 
were  skeptics  who  would  not  believe  that  a  lan- 
guage had  been  discovered.  To  test  the  matter, 
four  men  were  given  fine  lithographic  copies  of 
these  inscriptions,  and  each  was  to  work  alone, 
and  hold  no  communications  with  the  others.  At 
a  given  date  they  brought  in  their  work,  and  their 
translations  agreed  from  beginning  to  end  with 
very  slight  variations.  The  new-old  language 
had  been  discovered.  Scholars  are  not  rare  now 
who  can  read  this  tongue,  and  both  in  America 
and  Europe  special  college  chairs  for  its  study 
have  been  established.  During  the  past  fifty 
years  six  times  as  much  cuneiform  literature  has 
been  discovered  as  is  contained  in  the  Hebrew  of 
the  Old  Testament.  The  time  covered  is  from 
5000  B.  C.  down  to  100  B.  C.  So  far,  in  the  in- 
vestigation, not  a  single  historical  discovery  has 
cast  doubt  upon  the  truthfulness  of  the  statements 
of  the  Old  Testament.    It  is  also  a  matter  to  be 


22        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

thankful  for  that  the  hieroglyphics  can  now  be 
read.  The  find  of  the  "  Rosetta  Stone  "  was  the 
key  that  unlocked  this  door  of  a  great  past.  One 
hundred  years  ago,  if  the  question  had  been  asked, 
*'  How  far  does  history  reach  into  the  past?  "  the 
answer  would  have  been,  "  The  oldest  history  is 
the  history  of  Greece  and  Rome,  which  goes  back 
to  400  B.  C."  Critics  decided  that  much  of  the 
history  of  the  Old  Testament  could  not  be  true, 
as  it  was  uncorroborated  by  contemporary  his- 
tory, and  the  story  of  the  conquest  made  by  Abra- 
ham must  be  the  attempt  of  the  Jews  to  make  him 
out  a  great  man. 

The  Hittites  were  considered  by  the  critics  to 
be  a  mythical  race,  as  there  was  no  evidence  that 
they  ever  existed,  except  the  statements  of  the  Old 
Testament.  Sargon  is  mentioned  in  Isaiah  as 
being  the  King  of  Assyria,  but  other  than  this 
reference  we  knew  nothing  of  him,  therefore  he 
was  probably  a  myth.  Herodotus  was  the  father 
of  history,  and  he  doesn't  mention  these  things, 
therefore  they  could  not  have  been.  But  the  Old 
Testament  claims  to  go  back  one  thousand  years 
beyond  the  extreme  limit  of  Greek  history. 

One  hundred  years  ago  most  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment statements  were  absolutely  unsupported. 
Were  the  Israelites  in  bondage  to  the  Egyptians  ? 
The  only  evidence  of  it  was  the  statement  of  the 
Old  Testament.  But  the  light  now  has  burst 
through  the  darkness.     Men  had  noted  for  years 


THE   UNIMPEACHED    BIBLE  23 

that  on  temples  and  tombs  there  were  series  of 
pictures,  or  objects  arranged  in  a  certain  order. 
If  it  was  a  language,  what  was  the  key?  The  key 
was  found.  In  1799  Napoleon  began  his  cam- 
paign in  Egypt.  While  excavations  were  being 
made  at  the  mouth  of  the  Nile,  a  strange  stone 
was  discovered.  It  was  of  black  granite,  three 
feet,  nine  inches  in  height,  two  feet,  four  inches 
and  a  half  wide,  and  eleven  inches  thick. 

On  the  top  were  lines  in  the  strange  picture 
language.  Below  were  lines  in  another  language, 
while  still  farther  down  were  lines  in  Greek  uncial 
letters.  In  1818  the  long  lost  combination  was 
discovered,  and  the  past  of  Egypt  was  revealed. 
This  stone  called  the  "  Rosetta  Stone  "  is  now  in 
the  British  Museum.  We  now  go  back  in  Egyp- 
tian history  nearly  five  thousand  years  B.  C.  We 
now  know  the  history  of  a  great  civilization  ante- 
dating the  history  of  the  Old  Testament  three 
thousand  years.  In  1887,  at  Tel-Amarna,  a  peas- 
ant woman  found  over  three  hundred  cuneiform 
tablets,  which  proved  to  be  a  correspondence  be- 
tween kings  of  Asia  and  Egypt,  and  these,  with 
the  hieroglyphic  inscriptions,  have  given  us  a 
most  marvelous  view  into  the  past.  We  find  that 
the  Hittites  were,  indeed,  a  real  and  great  nation, 
and  were  finally  conquered  by  King  Sargon. 

Because  of  the  great  discoveries  made,  the  Old 
Testament  has  become  a  new  book  to  us.  Ex- 
plorations have  been  made  in  nearly  every  Bible 


24        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

land,  and  the  work  is  still  going  on.  We  have,  as 
yet,  only  entered  the  borders  of  the  great  field  of 
investigation.  We  can  now  look  upon  the  bodies 
or  pictures  of  people  from  most  of  the  lands  men- 
tioned in  Scripture,  while  tons  of  new  materials 
are  each  year  being  gathered  which  will  throw 
added  light  upon  the  statements  of  the  Bible. 
Every  mound  uncovered  is  a  step  toward  new 
and  important  discoveries.  New  light  has  been 
thrown  upon  nearly  every  name  mentioned  in  the 
Old  Testament. 

So  during  the  last  century  history  has  jumped 
backward  to  at  least  four  thousand  years  before 
Christ.  The  Old  Testament  is  not  very  old,  for 
we  now  know  that  Abraham  and  Moses  belong  to 
a  comparatively  recent  age.  They  were  preceded 
many  centuries  by  highly  civilized  and  cultured 
races.  "  Can  there  be  books  older  than  the  Old 
Testament?"  some  one  may  ask.  Yes,  and  we 
see  the  evidence  cut  in  the  hardest  of  rocks.  We 
find  not  only  evidence  of  the  greatness  of  this  old 
civilization,  but  also  much  that  establishes  the 
accuracy  of  the  records  of  the  Old  Testament. 
The  oldest  known  Hebrew  writings  are  on  the 
Moabite  Stone  and  the  Siloam  Inscription.  The 
Moabite  Stone  was  found  in  1868,  and  not  only 
does  it  show  the  oldest  style  of  Hebrew  writing, 
biit  it  supplements  the  records  of  the  third  chapter 
of  the  second  book  of  Kings.  The  stone  was  two 
feet  wide  by  four  feet  high,  and  more  than  a  foot 


THE    UNIMPEACHED    BIBLE  25 

in  thickness.  Believing-  it  to  be  something  won- 
derful, because  of  the  large  prices  offered,  the 
natives  built  a  fire  under  the  stone,  and  when  it 
was  hot  poured  cold  water  on  it,  breaking  it  in 
pieces  which  they  divided  among  themselves  as 
charms.  Most  of  the  broken  pieces  were  after- 
ward recovered,  and  from  a  paper  impression 
taken  before,  scholars  were  enabled  to  put  the 
stone  together.  The  restored  stone  is  in  the 
Louvre,  in  Paris.  The  record  on  this  stone  con- 
firms much  of  the  history  of  Omri,  Ahab,  Jeho- 
ram,  and  Jehoshaphat.  The  other  ancient  Hebrew 
writing  mentioned  was  the  Siloam  Inscription. 
No  site  in  Palestine  is  more  surely  identified  than 
the  Pool  of  Siloam.  The  pool  is  supplied  from 
the  Fountain  of  the  Virgin,  some  hundreds  of 
yards  away.  This  stream  has  been  flowing  into 
Jerusalem  for  more  than  two  thousand  six  hun- 
dred years.  Of  it  the  Psalmist  sang,  saying, 
"  There  is  a  river,  the  streams  whereof  make  glad 
the  city  of  God,  the  holy  place  of  the  tabernacle 
of  the  Most  High."  As  they  were  carrying  water 
from  this  Pool  of  Siloam,  to  pour  out  on  the  altar, 
Jesus  said,  "  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto 
me  and  drink."  The  tunnel  through  which  the 
water  comes  was  hewn  through  the  living  rock. 
From  the  fountain  to  the  pool  is  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  eight  feet.  It  is  not  straight, 
for  men  began  at  either  end,  and  did  not  quite 
meet  in  a  straight  line  at  the  middle.    In  2  Kings 


26        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

20  :  20,  we  learn  that  Hezekiah  "  made  a  pool, 
and  a  conduit,  and  brought  water  into  the  city." 

In  i88o  a  boy,  playing  with  others  at  the  Pool 
of  Siloam,  fell  into  the  water,  and  from  the  water, 
looking  up,  he  saw  the  shapes  of  letters  cut  out 
in  the  rocky  wall.  It  was  an  inscription,  telling  of 
the  building  of  the  tunnel,  and  explained  why  the 
conduit  was  not  straight.  This  inscription  may 
be  the  oldest  known  Hebrew  writing. 

Our  present  Hebrew  Bible  is  almost  identical 
with  the  Scriptures  of  Christ's  time.  Christ  read 
the  same  stories  we  read  and  often  referred  to 
them. 

The  Bible  has  stood  the  test  of  popularity. 

The  Bible  is  now  the  most  widely  distributed 
of  all  books.  It  is  being  carried  to  the  farthest 
regions  of  the  globe,  and  is  being  translated  into 
all  languages  and  dialects.  Millions  of  copies 
are  given  away,  and  the  zeal  of  Christians  knows 
no  limits  in  spreading  the  word  of  God.  The 
Bible  may  now  be  read  even  in  Chinese  and 
Siamese  dialects.  Even  the  natives  of  the  islands 
of  the  sea  can  now  read  the  Bible  in  their  own 
tongue. 

The  Bible  has  stood  the  test  of  our  so  id's  great- 
est need. 

It  is  our  spiritual  food.  "  Man  doth  not  live 
by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth 


THE    UNIMPEACHED    BIBLE  27 

out  of  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  doth  man  live." 
How  essential  to  spiritual  growth  is  the  constant 
partaking  of  this  heavenly  manna.  The  Bible  has 
been  given  us  that  we  may  learn  the  will  of  God. 

"  The  word  is  very  nigh  unto  thee,  in  thy 
mouth,  and  in  thy  heart,  that  thou  mayest  do  it." 
Paul  in  quoting  these  words  adds,  "  that  is,  the 
word  of  faith,  which  we  preach." 

The  first  duty  of  the  Christian  is  obedience. 
How  shall  we  obey  if  we  know  not  his  will  ?  The 
Bible  is  the  statute-book  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 
*'  Obey  my  voice,  and  I  will  be  your  God,  and  ye 
shall  be  my  people." 

The  Bible  is  a  many-sided  book  and  touches  on 
almost  every  phase  of  life.  Would  we  know  how 
to  live  right  we  should  observe  God's  laws. 

It  seeks  to  protect  the  family  and  society.  In 
the  plainest  possible  terms  it  condemns  immo- 
rality. There  are  verses  in  the  Bible  that  should 
not  be  read  in  the  family  nor  in  public,  but  they 
ought  to  be  read.  Certain  books  on  medicine 
are  not  for  public  or  family  reading,  but  they  are 
exceedingly  valuable,  nevertheless. 

What  inspiration  there  is  in  the  Psalms;  what 
comfort  in  the  teachings  of  our  Lord ;  how  bright 
the  future  looks  when  we  read  about  our  victory 
over  death  in  Paul's  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians. 
The  word  should  be  read  as  an  act  of  devotion. 

It  is  our  Father's  letter  of  direction,  instruc- 
tion, and  comfort.    It  reveals  his  will.    It  is  not  a 


28        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

fetish,  like  the  relic  or  crucifix  of  the  superstitious 
Christian,  or  the  medicine-bag  of  an  Indian.  It  is 
the  principles  of  the  Bible  brought  into  contact 
with  our  inner  life,  that  makes  it  of  value  to  us. 
The  thirsty  man  must  drink  when  he  comes  to  the 
fountain  or  he  will  perish. 

Of  course  there  are  many  things  which  we  can- 
not understand ;  if  we  understood  it  all,  would  it 
be  the  word  of  God  ?  We  may  well  ask,  with  an 
old  saint  of  God,  "  Why  should  I  choke  over  a 
bone,  when  I  have  so  much  good  meat?"  The 
Bible  has  been  given  into  our  charge  that  we  may 
keep  it  intact. 

Holding  fast  the  faithful  word, 

The  word  of  majesty  and  light,  the  church's  heritage. 

It  was  given  into  our  hands  "  that  we  may  be 
able  by  sound  doctrine  both  to  exhort  and  to 
convince  the  gainsayers."  It  is  an  exceedingly 
dangerous  and  foolish  thing  to  trifle  with  the 
compass  when  we  are  out  in  the  storm,  or  to 
change  the  chart  when  the  rocks  are  around  us. 
The  Bible  is  a  chart  for  every  sea,  the  compass 
whose  needle  points  always  to  the  Cross  which  is 
the  only  safe  place  for  the  soul. 

So  we  should  esteem  the  word  above  all  else, 
and  receive  it  with  great  joy.  Job  said,  "  I  have 
esteemed  the  words  of  his  mouth  more  than  my 
necessary  food." 

If  the  Bible  cannot  be  impeached,  we  must  take 


THE    UNIMPEACHED    BIBLE  29 

it  more  seriously  and  rearrange  our  program.  If 
we  believe  all  we  have  claimed,  we  cannot  longer 
play  at  Christian  work,  nor  longer  neglect  our 
opportunities.  If  the  Bible  be  the  word  of  God 
and  his  message  to  us,  we  must  have  a  higher 
ideal  of  service. 

//  the  Bible  cannot  he  impeached,  then  we  must 
rearrange  our  program  for  s'oul-zuinning,  and 
every  Christian  must  become  an  evangelist. 

If  what  we  believe  be  true,  surely  we  ought  to 
have  an  interest  in  people  that  shall  give  to  us  a 
burden  for  their  souls. 

If  men  were  in  danger  when  Christ  uttered  his 
solemn  warnings,  they  are  equally  in  danger  now. 
We  must  increase  our  powers  in  the  use  of  the 
sword  of  the  Spirit. 

Then  the  art  of  repression  always  comes  with 
real  knowledge.  What  we  know  we  can  tell. 
Knowing  God  and  knowing  men,  we  ought  to  be 
able  to  point  men  to  God.  With  a  burden,  knowl- 
edge of  truth,  skill  in  truth's  expression,  and  a 
great  soul  earnestness,  we  can  all  become  soul- 
winners. 

//  the  Bible  cannot  be  impeached,  i^e  must  re- 
arrange our  program,  and  every  Christian  must 
become  a  missionary. 

We  need  a  new  world  vision.  Carey  did  what 
he  did  because  a  world-map  was  before  him  while 


30        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

he  mended  shoes.  What  happens  in  China, 
Japan,  Germany,  and  Russia  has  a  marked  effect 
upon  us  almost  as  soon  as  it  happens. 

How  much  we  owe  to  missionaries  we  may 
never  know.  Perhaps  theirs  has  been  the  re- 
straining hand  that  is  protecting  us  to-day.  It  is 
a  very  small  world  now,  and  every  Christian 
should  have  a  world  view-point  of  service. 

If  the  Bible  cannot  he  impeached^  we  need  to 
give  neiv  dignity  to  Christian  service,  and  every 
Christian  shoidd  go  into  the  life-assurance  busi- 
ness. 

Not  many  of  our  best  young  men  are  looking 
forward  to  the  ministry.  Do  you  blame  them? 
To  please  the  churches  they  must  be  married. 
But  what  about  old  age,  or  the  ''  dead  line,"  or 
disability?  Not  for  themselves  are  they  afraid, 
but  for  their  families.  The  world  needs  the  gos- 
pel, but  how  shall  they  hear  it  without  preachers  ? 
We  must  take  care  of  our  needy  ministers  and 
missionaries,  and  their  families.  Every  Christian 
can  help  assure  this  blessed  result.  It  must  not 
be  charity  but  justice. 

If  the  Bible  cannot  be  impeached,  we  must  re- 
arrange our  program,  and  every  Christian  must 
become  a  scholar  and  a  teacher. 

All  of  the  world's  greatest  blessings  have  come 
because  of  Christian  education.     It  has  freed  the 


THE    UNIMPEACHED    BIBLE  3I 

slave,  elevated  woman,  and  will  give  us  world 
democracy  and  the  prohibition  of  strong  drink. 

If  the  Bible  cannot  be  impeached,  ii^e  must  re- 
arrange our  program,  and  every  Christian  must 
become  an  administrator. 

We  greatly  need  a  new  conception  of  steward- 
ship. Not  one-tenth,  but  ten-tenths  belong  to 
God.  We  are  stewards  of  everything  that  is  of 
use  to  us  and  to  others.  Stewardship  implies  an 
owner;  something  of  value  has  been  placed  in 
our  hands,  for  which  we  are  responsible  and 
which  must  be  used  faithfully  for  the  Master. 

We  must  become  joyful,  thankful,  and  wor- 
shipful administrators.  We  have  the  greatest 
motive — for  Christ,  his  church,  and  his  kingdom. 

No,  the  Bible  cannot  be  impeached.  "  For 
verily  I  say  unto  you.  Till  heaven  and  earth  pass, 
one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass  from 
the  law,  till  all  be  fulfilled."  "  The  Scripture  can- 
not be  broken."  We  believe  with  Horatius 
Bonar : 

A  thousand  hammers  keen 

With  fiery  force  and  strain, 
Brought  down  on  it  in  rage  and  hate, 
Have  struck  this  gem  in  vain. 

Against  this  sea-swept  rock 
Ten  thousand  storms  their  will 

Of  foam  and  rage  have  widely  spent; 
It  lifts  its  calm  face  still. 


^2        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

A  blind  girl  had  been  in  the  habit  of,  reading 
the  Bible  by  means  of  the  raised  letters  such  as 
the  blind  use.  She  worked  hard  for  a  living,  and 
soon  her  fingers  became  calloused.  She  would 
cut  off  the  calloused  skin  that  her  fingers  might 
become  sensitive,  but  still  she  could  not  read.  In 
her  sorrow  she  said,  "  Farewell,  my  dear  Bible. 
You  have  been  the  joy  of  my  life."  She  pressed 
the  book  to  her  lips  and  felt  the  letters,  and  her 
heart  thrilled  with  joy.  "  Thank  God,"  said  she. 
*'  I  can  read  it  with  my  lips."  Do  we  love  God's 
word  like  this?  And  yet  without  it,  what  would 
our  lives  be?  Only  the  Bible  has  lifted  the  veil 
of  the  future ;  it  is  the  corner-stone  of  our  civiliza- 
tion ;  it  is  the  way  to  eternal  life.  May  God  bless 
to  us  our  Bible. 


THEICHIVALRY  OF  SERVICE 

CARTER  HELM  JONES,  D.  D. 

Pastor,  First  Baptist  Church,  Philadelphia 


Isa.  6  :  8.  And  I  heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  saying, 
Whom  shall  I  send,  and  who  will  go  for  us?  Then  I  said, 
Here  am  I,  send  me. 

I  Cor.  i6  :  13.  Watch  ye,  stand  fast  in  the  faith,  quit 
you  Hke  men,  be  strong. 


THE  CHIVALRY  OF  SERVICE' 


Chivalry  is  more  than  a  medieval  memory  of 
clash  of  tourney  and  press  of  knights.  The 
spirit  of  Arthur's  "  table  round,"  the  quest  of 
the  Holy  Grail,  the  genius  of  the  Crusades,  all 
have  their  rebirth  in  the  knighthood  of  to-day. 
For  us  chivalry  is  the  personal  response  to  the 
call  of  the  highest,  and  the  chivalry  of  service  is 
the  translation  of  radiant  ideals  into  worthy 
deeds. 

I  shall  speak  of  the  Cause,  the  Conflict,  the 
Call,  the  Comradeship,  the  Challenge,  and  the 
Captain. 

What  is  this  Cause  zvhich  has  led  our  peace- 
loving  nation  into  zvarf 

May  I  state  it  in  the  words  of  three  great  men  ? 
Washington  appealed  to  heaven,  and  these  are  his 
words : 

That  the  happiness  of  the  people  of  these  States,  under 
the  auspices  of  liberty,  may  be  made  complete,  by  so  care- 
ful a  preservation  and  so  prudent  a  use  of  this  blessing 
(the  liberties  guaranteed  by  the  Constitution)  as  will  ac- 

1  This  sermon  is  not  the  one  delivered  at  the  jubilee  of  the  Memorial 
Church.  Manuscript  for  that  address  could  not  be  furnished.  The  sermon 
here  reproduced  was  preached  to  soldiers  in  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Seattle,  on  July  22,  1917. 

35 


36        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

quire  to  them  the  glory  of  recommending  it  to  the  ap- 
plause, the  affection,  and  the  adoption  of  every  nation 
which  is  yet  a  stranger  to  it. 

Wonderful  words !  An  experiment  in  govern- 
ment. An  experiment  in  love.  That  challenge 
which  every  adventure  of  faith  makes,  a  chal- 
lenge to  the  attention,  a  challenge  to  the  admira- 
tion, a  challenge  to  adoption  by  the  nations  of  the 
world.  Isn't  it  audacious  and  yet  magnificent? 
A  man  standing  with  a  handful  of  people,  repre- 
senting thirteen  loosely  coordinated  colonies,  a 
nation  in  its  birth  throes,  calls  across  the  waters 
to  the  world  :  *'  Look !  This  is  what  your  fathers 
have  dreamed  of,  this  is  what  your  mothers  have 
wept  for,  this  is  what  your  philosophers  and  po- 
litical doctrinaires  have  longed  for.  We  will  make 
it  good  in  achievement  as  we  have  made  it  beauti- 
ful in  promise." 

The  second — Lincoln  in  his  immortal  words, 
half  appeal  to  the  people,  half  prayer  to  Almighty 
God,  heartened  for  fresh  effort  the  struggling  na- 
tion— you  will  recognize  these  words : 

It  is  rather  for  us  to  be  here  dedicated  to  the  great  task 
remaining  before  us — that  from  these  honored  dead  we 
take  increased  devotion  to  that  cause  for  which  they  here 
gave  the  last  full  measure  of  devotion — that  we  here 
highly  resolve  that  these  dead  shall  not  have  died  in  vain, 
that  this  nation,  under  God,  shall  have  a  new  birth  of 
freedom,  and  that  government  of  the  people,  by  the  people, 
for  the  people  shall  not  perish  from  the  earth. 


THE    CHIVALRY    OF    SERVICE  37 

The  smoke  of  Gettysburg  has  long  cleared 
away,  the  high  tide  of  Southern  valor  that  made 
a  new  record  in  the  annals  of  the  world's  heroism 
is  marked  no  longer  with  sectionalism  or  stigma- 
tized with  injustice,  but  has  been  proudly  recog- 
nized as  a  memorial,  as  a  waymark  of  American 
manhood  struggling  for  what  it  thought  was 
right.  The  shadows  have  fallen  away,  the  prej- 
udices have  dropped,  and  there  looms  large,  not 
the  president  of  a  federal  government  alone,  not 
the  hero  and  pride  of  a  section  alone,  but  a  great- 
hearted, wonderful  man  who  bowed  before  Al- 
mighty God  that  day  and  almost  with  prescient 
fingers  pulled  aside  the  curtains  of  to-morrow  and 
looked  upon  the  future  destiny  of  the  nation  he 
loved  so  dearly  and  from  which  he  was  soon  to 
step  aside  in  the  shadows  of  an  ineffable  tragedy. 

The  third — Woodrow  Wilson,  worthy  of  this 
great  fellowship.  In  that  recent  hour  upon  which 
focused  the  thought  of  the  whole  world,  he  was 
speaking  as  a  prophet,  speaking  for  God  to  his 
people,  speaking  through  his  people  for  America 
to  humanity,  and  gathering  up  in  tense  fingers  the 
great  lines  of  political  philosophy  of  all  time  and 
interpreting  the  truth  to  generations  unborn. 
Listen  to  these  words  in  his  epochal  message  to 
Congress : 

The  right  is  more  precious  than  peace,  and  we  shall 
fight  for  the  things  which  we  have  always  carried  nearest 
our  hearts :  for  democracy,  for  the  right  of  those  who  sub- 
D 


38       THE   POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

mit  to  authority  to  have  a  voice  in  their  own  governments, 
for  the  rights  and  liberties  of  small  nations,  for  a  univer- 
sal dominion  of  right  by  such  a  concert  of  free  peoples 
as  shall  bring  peace  and  safety  to  all  nations  and  make 
the  world  itself  at  last  free.  To  such  a  task  we  can  dedi- 
cate our  lives  and  our  fortunes,  everything  that  we  are 
and  everything  that  we  have,  with  the  pride  of  those  who 
know  that  the  day  has  come  when  America  is  privileged 
to  spend  her  blood  and  her  might  for  the  principles  that 
gave  her  birth  and  happiness  and  the  peace  which  she  has 
treasured.    God  helping  her,  she  can  do  no  other. 

These  three  great  utterances  ring  with  a  com- 
mon note.  It  vibrates  through  twelve  decades 
of  the  nation's  Hfe — ^the  indefeasible  right  of 
human  liberty. 

This  is  why  you  go,  my  dear  boys.  God  bless 
you !  It  is  for  the  defense  of  such  principles.  It 
is  for  the  promulgation,  the  proclamation  of  the 
gospel  of  such  everlasting  truth.  It  is  for  the 
maintenance  of  such  national  sacredness  in  in- 
ternational atmosphere.  I  want  to  add  another 
word  to  the  preciousness  of  this  ideal.  Because — 
hear  me,  men — it  is  an  ideal  for  which  we  are 
fighting.  We  are  not  fighting  because  they  sank 
a  ship  which  bore  some  freight  and  caused  a  loss 
of  money.  We  are  not  even  fighting  because  a 
ship  went  down  on  which  some  ill-fated  Ameri- 
cans were  so  unfortunate  as  to  be  traveling.  We 
are  fighting  because  when  Belgium  was  invaded, 
America  was  invaded ;  when  Belgium  was  raped, 
then  the  virtue  at  the  heart  of  our  republic  was 


THE    CHIVALRY   OF   SERVICE  39 

violated ;  and  when  those  treaties  that  had  become 
the  sacred  words  of  faith  between  nations  were 
violated  by  the  Prussian  military  system,  then  no 
international  treaty  was  safe.  Out  of  this  war 
there  has  loomed  large  a  great  personality.  I 
bow  my  head  in  unaffected  reverence  before  a 
Roman  Catholic  prelate.  I  do  this  gladly  in  what 
is  called  a  Protestant  pulpit.  Cardinal  Mercier 
has  won  for  himself  a  place  among  the  immortals, 
not  because  he  is  a  cardinal,  but  because  he  is  a 
man.    As  an  article  in  the  "  Outlook  "  says : 

Against  the  lurid  and  awful  background  of  conquered 
Belgium,  one  figure  stands  out  in  sharp  silhouette,  a  per- 
sonality that  has  succeeded  in  dominating  the  chaos  of 
events.  .  .  Cardinal  Mercier  is  nearer  the  heart  of  Bel- 
gium than  any  one  else,  because  no  one  knows  so  well 
what  she  has  suffered,  and  no  one  else  has  seen  so  clearly 
all  her  moral  grandeur.  He  has  been  all  things  to  all  men — 
the  embodiment  of  patriotism  and  courage. 

This  is  one  of  the  beauties  that  is  being  painted 
by  God's  own  hand  upon  the  awful  shadow  of  this 
dreadful  war — that  men  are  coming  into  a  nobler 
unity,  into  a  finer  conformity,  unto  a  more  gra- 
cious brotherhood,  and  we  are  not  asking  what 
churches  they  belong  to,  we  are  asking  the  fiber 
of  their  manhood,  the  quality  of  their  ideals,  and 
the  strength  of  their  stabilities.  Cardinal  Mercier 
says  this,  soldiers : 

A  just  war  has  austere  beauty.  It  brings  out  the  disin- 
terested enthusiasm  of  the  whole  people,  which  gives,  or  is 


40        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

prepared  to  give,  its  most  precious  possession,  even  life 
itself,  for  the  defence  and  vindication  of  things  which  can- 
not be  weighed,  which  cannot  be  calculated,  but  which  can 
never  be  extinguished — justice,  honor,  peace,  liberty. 

Are  these  worth  fighting  for?  Are  these  worth 
sacrificing  for? 

The  ConMct  I  need  not  discuss. 

You  know  it.  It  is  a  conflict  in  which  autoc- 
racy is  taking  its  last  stand  against  democracy,  in 
which  the  "  divine  right  of  kings  "  is  not  stating 
itself  in  the  old  feudal  terms  of  the  baronial  Mid- 
dle Ages,  but  in  which  the  ''  divine  right  of 
kings  "  has  found  a  new  argument  in  the  philo- 
sophic basis  of  German  rationalism.  If  this  were 
the  time  and  this  were  the  place,  I  could  trace 
with  you  how  they  have  taken  that  man  of  gigan- 
tic intellect  and  inexorable  logic,  Immanuel  Kant, 
and  from  his  principles  have  developed  the  doc- 
trine that  the  individual  exists  for  the  State — not 
the  State  for  the  individual.  The  international 
conclusion  of  Prussian  logic  would  be  that  the 
world  exists  for  the  German  state.  So  when  you 
meet  a  Prussian  militarist  you  not  only  meet  a 
man  who  is  a  marvelous  machine  of  a  soldier,  but 
you  meet  a  man  panoplied  in  one  of  the  most  dan- 
gerous armors  that  one  can  ever  wear — that  of 
personal  infallibility.  God  help  a  man  when  he 
meets  an  infallible  man !  And  so  it  is  that  this  ter- 
rible ambition  like  a  great  upas  has  shadowed  all 


THE    CHIVALRY    OF   SERVICE  4I 

the  distinct  idealism,  the  critical  genius,  the  artistic 
bent,  the  inventive  efficiency  of  a  wonderful  peo- 
ple. Philosophy,  learning,  music,  literature, 
science,  and  invention  have  all  been  prostituted 
and  made  subservient  to  an  imperial  ambition  for 
European  and  world  domination,  whose  sudden 
uncovering  has  been  the  surprise,  the  dismay,  and 
the  horror  of  our  age.  They  have  kept  hid  for 
the  last  generation  inventions  which  they  would 
not  let  the  rest  of  the  world  know  existed,  and 
harnessed  them  to  the  enginery  of  this  terrible 
desire  and  purpose  to  dominate  Europe  and  then 
to  dominate  the  whole  world.  That  is  the  essence 
of  the  conflict  you  face. 

Next  notice  the  Call. 

Isaiah  said,  "  I  saw  the  Lord.''  God  is  invisi- 
ble. By  the  very  nature  of  his  existence,  by  the 
very  terms  of  his  almightiness  and  all  wisdom  he 
must  be  invisible,  and  yet,  wonder  of  wonders,  in 
every  age  there  have  been  men  who  have  seen 
God,  who  have  heard  God,  and  the  glory  of  it  is 
that  even  though  your  eyes,  like  mine,  are  finite, 
though  your  senses,  like  mine,  are  limited,  yet 
God  speaks  through  men.  Your  call,  I  do  believe, 
has  come  as  clearly  as  the  call  to  patriot,  prophet, 
apostle  and  martyr,  crusader  and  hero  in  all  the 
recorded  realms  and  annals  of  men.  God  has 
called  you  through  your  country.  "  Whom  shall 
I  send;  who  will  go  for  us?"     You  have  said: 


42        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

"Here  am  I;  send  me."  Your  cause  is  sacred 
because  he  who  calls  you  is  God.  I  shall  not  take 
time — though  I  am  tempted  to  do  so — to  go  more 
fully  into  the  conception,  that  sweeps  me  some- 
times like  the  conflagration  of  a  burning  enthu- 
siasm, of  what  constitutes  a  call  of  duty,  but 
God  has  called,  and  as  Emerson  has  so  beautifully 

put  it, 

So  nigh  is  grandeur  to  our  dust, 

So  near  is  God  to  man, 
When  Duty  whispers  low,  "  Thou  must," 

The  youth  replies,  "  I  can." 

And  that  is  the  spirit  in  which  I  greet  you  to- 
day. 

/  would  suggest  in  the  fourth  place  the  Com- 
radeship. 

O  men,  this  is  a  wonderful  comradeship. 
When  you  step  forth  in  this  new  chivalry  of  our 
new  day,  you  come  into  electric  sympathy  with 
the  comradeship  of  the  chivalry  of  all  the  ages. 
More  than  that,  you  come  into  direct  succession 
with  the  splendid  comradeship  of  your  fore- 
fathers. There  sings  in  your  veins  the  blood  that 
flowed  in  the  patriot  veins  at  Valley  Forge  and  in 
the  glorious  battles  of  1812,  on  land  and  sea; 
across  the  burning  sands  of  Mexico  until  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  were  planted  in  the  halls  of  the 
Montezumas;  and  then  again  in  the  awful  con- 
flict when  North  and  South  were  fighting  them- 


THE    CHIVALRY    OF    SERVICE  43 

selves  together  and  purifying  themselves  in  the 
seven  heated  furnaces  of  suffering.  Yes,  you  are 
in  the  comradeship  with  Washington  and  La- 
fayette, with  Decatur  and  John  Paul  Jones,  with 
Scott,  Taylor,  and  Jackson;  you  are  in  the  com- 
radeship of  Lincoln  and  Grant,  Sherman  and 
Sheridan,  with  Robert  E.  Lee,  Stonewall  Jack- 
son, and  Albert  Sidney  Johnston.  Dewey,  Schley, 
Sampson,  and  the  heroes  who  made  incarnadine 
the  soils  of  the  isles  over  the  sea  are  your  broth- 
ers in  arms.  You  are  also  in  comradeship  with 
those  who  are  watching  for  you,  perhaps  across 
the  water,  over  whom  flies  the  Union  Jack,  and 
the  Lilies  of  France,  and  the  flag  of  brave  little 
Belgium,  and  the  flag  of  the  scions  of  the  Caesars, 
and  the  flag  of  that  strange  mystic  giant  republic 
which  has  almost  like  Minerva  from  the  head  of 
Jove  sprung  full  armed  into  the  international 
arena  of  modern  history — new  Russia.  But  your 
comradeship  is  higher  than  that.  Yours  too  is 
the  comradeship  celestial.  You  are  coming  in 
touch  with  the  chivalry  of  faith,  you  are  coming 
in  touch  with  the  knighthood  of  God.  God  him- 
self is  in  you  and  shall  be  with  you. 

Notice  the  Challenge  made  by  this  chivalry  of 
serznce. 

It  is  a  challenge  to  courage.  There  never  was 
a  time  when  war  made  a  fiercer  demand  upon  real 
courage  than  to-day.     I  shall  not  depict  its  hor- 


44        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

rors.  You  would  not  mind  it,  but  some  who  sit 
near  you  might.  Ah,  there  was  a  time  when  men 
went  forth  to  meet  men,  when  men  could  look 
their  foes  in  the  eye.  Sometimes,  as  on  the 
splendid  fields  of  medieval  chivalry  when  knight- 
hood was  in  flower,  whole  armies  would  stop  that 
two  men-at-arms  or  two  knights  might  do  their 
high  devoir  according  to  the  stainless  annals  and 
laws  of  tourney.  There  was  a  time  even  in  our 
day  when  men  knew  that  when  they  fought 
they  were  fighting  men  worthy  of  their  steel. 
The  tragedy  of  the  war  of  to-day  is  that  you  are 
fighting  foes  who  have  discredited  all  of  the 
modern  amendments  to  ancient  warfare  and  have 
reverted  to  a  savagery  undreamed  of  in  military 
annals,  unsuspected  in  the  bitterest  moments  of 
racial  rancor.  You  are  fighting  foes  who  may  be 
miles  above  you  in  the  air,  who  may  be  fathoms 
beneath  you  in  the  sea.  You  are  fighting  foes 
who  may  be  miles  away  from  you.  You  are 
fighting  science,  you  are  fighting  the  enginery  of 
a  diabolism  born  in  hell  and  translated  in  infernal 
terms  in  modern  warfare.  Strong  words?  I 
wish  I  knew  the  English  language  well  enough  to 
make  them  stronger.    It  is  a  call  to  courage. 

I  do  not  fear  that  you  will  fear.  I  am  not 
afraid  that  our  boys  will  be  false  to  all  the  glory 
of  their  fathers.  I  am  not  afraid  that  the  spirit 
of  Valley  Forge  and  Gettysburg,  of  Chancellors- 
ville  and  Chickamauga  will  fail  you.     I  am  not 


THOMAS  M.  GREENE 

Deacon,  1867-1917 


THE    CHIVALRY    OF    SERVICE  45 

afraid  that  you  will  falter  before  mortal  man. 
I  am  asking  you  that  you  will  have  that  fine  cour- 
age which  knows  how  to  wait,  that  fine  courage 
which  is  patient,  that  fine  courage  which  knows 
how  to  suffer.  It  would  never  enter  my  dreams 
to  think  that  you  would  ever  be  laggards  when 
the  order  to  charge  comes,  but  oh,  I  pray  that 
God  will  make  you  brave  to  wait  until  that  order 
•comes. 

I  call  you  also  to  a  courage  that  shall  withstand 
an  enemy  worse  than  Prussianism  has  ever  put 
into  the  field.  There  is  an  insidious,  deadly  im- 
morality, a  fatal  foe  to  purity,  truth,  manhood, 
and  right  more  horrible  than  Mars  has  ever  yet 
been  able  to  make  swim  the  sea,  ride  the  air,  or 
run  upon  the  land.  I  call  you  to  that  life  of 
purity  which  shall  make  you  unashamed  and  un- 
afraid always,  as  you  are  to-day,  to  look  mother 
and  sister,  wife  or  sweetheart  in  the  face.  We  are 
praying  that  God  will  bring  you  back  to  us  When 
you  go,  and  we  are  praying  that  God  will  bring 
you  back  sweet  and  clean  and  pure  and  true- 
hearted.  You  will  keep  tryst  with  Old  Glory ;  we 
are  not  afraid  of  that.  You  will  keep  tryst  with 
all  the  loftiest  traditions  that  blazon  the  annals 
of  our  country  with  an  imperishable  light.  You 
will  keep  tryst  also  with  that  sweetness,  sim- 
plicity, and  purity  which  came  with  you  from  the 
time  when  your  mother  rocked  your  cradle  in  the 
golden  gloaming  and  mingled  the  "  name  which 


46        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

is  above  every  name  "  with  the  lullabies  which 
hushed  you  to  your  rosy  rest.  Have  courage,  be 
strong ! 

And  the  last  word  is  your  Captain. 

Moses  had  gone  and  Joshua  stood  with  the  host 
of  Israel  on  the  eve  of  battle.  Joshua  rose  that 
morning  and  saw  before  him  a  man  standing  with 
a  naked  sword,  and  instantly  the  doughty-hearted 
old  hero  went  toward  him  and  said,  "  Art  thou 
with  us  or  for  our  adversaries?  "  And  he  said: 
*'  I  am  the  captain  of  the  hosts  of  the  Lord,  thy 
God.  Take  off  thy  shoes.  The  ground  upon 
which  thou  dost  stand  is  holy  ground."  The 
captain  of  the  hosts  of  the  Lord !  Ah,  the  writer 
of  the  Hebrews,  harking  back  to  that  moment, 
and  thinking  of  that  Presence  which  moved  un- 
hasting  and  unlagging  down  the  long  corridors 
of  the  ages,  referred  to  him  as  the  ''  Captain  of 
our  salvation."  His  name  is  Immanuel,  and  Im- 
manuel  means  "  God  with  us."  O  men,  be  true 
to  the  Captain  of  your  salvation.  His  is  the  in- 
visible presence  which  will  stand  by  your  side 
and  walk  with  you  on  the  weary  march.  His  is 
the  invisible  presence  that  will  nerve  you  with 
strength  and  give  you  grace  in  the  moments  when 
patience  almost  gives  way.  His  is  the  melody 
that  will  flood  your  souls  with  song  in  the  nights 
when  you  may  be  lonely-hearted,  thinking  of  the 
old  home  and  the  loved  ones,  perhaps  across  the 


THE    CHIVALRY    OF    SERVICE  47 

sea.  His  is  the  presence  that  will  go  with  you 
when  the  hail  of  lead  and  the  maelstrom  of  de- 
struction break  upon  you.  He,  if  need  be,  will 
walk  with  you  "  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow 
of  death,"  his  rod  and  staff  sustaining  you. 

And  more  than  that — because  God  in  Christ  is 
the  Captain  of  your  salvation,  you  are  sure  of 
victory.  He  has  never  been  conquered.  Death 
smote  him  on  Calvary,  but  death  could  not  hold 
him.  He  rose  triumphant.  He  has  marched 
down  the  ages,  the  preceding  Christ,  leading  all 
the  centuries,  and  he  is  marching  before  the 
nations  that  stand  for  truth  and  freedom  in  this 
war,  and  he  will  lead  us  out  into  that  glory  of 
democracy  where  monarchies  have  crumbled  and 
crowns  dissolved  to  dust,  and  where  the  eternal 
brotherhood  of  man  shall  realize  itself  in  the 
beauty  of  the  eternal  fatherhood  of  God.  He  is 
the  Captain  of  your  salvation. 

Oh,  may  I  ask  that  each  of  you  will  wear 
Jesus  Christ  in  the  inner  soul  of  you.  Trust  him. 
Talk  to  him.  Not  in  the  formal  language  you 
may  have  heard  others  use,  but  each  in  his  own 
tongue. 

Speak  to  him,  thou,  for  he  hears  thee, 

And  spirit  with  spirit  can  meet; 
C'oser  is  he  than  breathing, 
Nearer  than  hands  and  feet. 

So  to-day,  greeting  you  in  this  fashion  in  be- 
half not  only  of  this  dear  church,  but  of  all  of  the 


48        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

churches  that  may  be  represented  in  the  faith 
which  you  have,  or  the  faith  of  your  loved  ones, 
I  say,  Go  forth  and  God  go  with  you.  This 
church  and  all  the  churches  will  go  with  you  as 
far  as  they  may  with  love  and  prayer,  fair  prophe- 
cies, and  bright  hopes.  In  spirit  fellowship  we 
will  hover  around  you  and  strengthen  you. 
Eagerly  we  will  wait  until  you  come  back  with 
shouts  of  victory  and  the  glory  of  duty  well  done. 
After  my  father's  death  I  found  in  his  army 
diary  this  quotation : 

I  will  go  forth  *mong  men,  not  mailed  in  scorn,  but  in  the 
quiet  armor  of  a  good  intent.  Great  deeds  are  before  me. 
But  whether  crowned  or  crownless  when  I  fall,  it  matters 
not,  so  God's  will  be  done. 


OUR  LORD  AND  MASTER 

ROBERT  E.  SPEER,  D  D. 
Secretary,  Presbyterian  Boardj  of  Foreign  Missions 


Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord :  and  ye  say  well ;  for  so  I 
am.— John  13  :  13. 


OUR  LORD  AND  MASTER 


There  are  two  different  ways  in  which  we  may 
study  any  object.  On  the  one  hand,  we  may  look 
directly  at  it,  or,  on  the  other  hand,  we  may  not 
look  at  it  at  all,  but  may  study  instead  the  im- 
pression that  it  is  making  upon  some  one  who  is 
looking  at  it.  We  are  familiar  with  both  of  these 
methods,  and  with  the  greater  power  and  effec- 
tiveness of  the  second  of  them.  How  often  in 
good  books  we  have  seen  a  clever  writer,  realizing 
that  there  were  certain  emotions  that  he  could  not 
describe  directly,  succeed  in  impressing  us  with 
all  that  he  wanted  to  impress  us  with  by  describ- 
ing instead  the  reaction  which  watching  those 
emotions  effected  upon  some  stander-by.  And 
how  common  it  is  in  painting  to  see  the  device 
of  a  fire  represented  by  the  reflection  of  the  fire 
upon  the  faces  of  those  who  are  gazing  upon  it. 

One  sees  this  second  method  of  description  at 
its  best  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  the  prophecy  of 
Isaiah,  a  description  of  the  experience  of  his  great 
call.  One  wishes  at  times  that  Isaiah  had  told  us 
just  what  it  was  that  he  saw,  "  The  Lord  .  .  . 
high  and  lifted  up."  If  we  might  only  know  what 
the  Lord  looked  like,  when  you  see  him  high  and 
lifted  up!     But  all  we  know  is  that  when  Isaiah 

5T 


52        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

saw  the  Lord,  high  and  lifted  up,  he  covered  his 
mouth  with  his  hands  and  lay  down  upon  his 
face  in  the  temple,  and  all  that  is  left  to  us  is  a 
picture  of  the  impress  that  the  vision  made  upon 
Isaiah's  own  heart. 

It  is  beautiful  to  go  through  the  four  Gospels 
studying  the  picture  of  Jesus  Christ  which  the 
Evangelists  present  in  both  of  these  ways.  They 
were  masters  of  the  art  of  direct  representation, 
telling  us  what  they  saw,  and  reporting  the  words 
which  they  heard  him  speak.  But  they  were  even 
more  skilful,  if  that  might  be,  in  those  little 
touches  of  theirs  in  which  by  indirection  they  re- 
vealed to  us  what  Jesus  Christ  was,  and  let  us  see 
the  deep  impress  that  he  made  upon  their  lives. 
"  And  they  were  in  the  way,"  we  read,  "  going 
up  to  Jerusalem,  and  Jesus  was  before  them ;  and 
they  were  amazed,  and  as  they  followed  they  were 
afraid."  Why  were  they  amazed?  What  was  it 
that  made  them  fear?  Not  a  word  is  said,  only 
we  can  see  in  their  fear,  more  vividly  than  if  they 
had  drawn  it,  the  figure  of  the  Saviour  with  his 
white  set  face  and  the  eager  greyhound  steps  and 
will  that  could  not  be  moved,  as  he  went  reso- 
lutely on  to  what  he  knew  was  waiting  for  him  in 
Jerusalem.  And  again  we  read  that,  as  they  came 
to  get  him  in  the  vineyard,  Jesus  "  went  forth, 
and  said  unto  them,  Whom  seek  ye?  They  an- 
swered him,  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Jesus  saith  unto 
them,    I   am   he.      And   Judas   also,    which   be- 


OUR    LORD    AND    MASTER  53 

trayed  him,  stood  with  them.  As  soon  then  as 
he  had  said  unto  them,  I  am  he,  they  went  back- 
ward and  fell  to  the  ground."  Why  did  they  go 
backward  and  fall  to  the  ground  simply  because 
Jesus  said,  ''  I  am  he  "  ?  We  see  the  lonely  figure 
standing  there  with  the  red  drops  on  his  white 
robe,  and  the  light  that  must  fiave  been  shining 
on  his  face  from  those  holy  hours  of  loneliness  in 
the  garden  by  himself,  facing  the  great  tragedy 
of  his  life.  We  see  all  that  far  more  vividly  than 
if  the  Evangelists  had  tried  to  describe  him  as 
they  beheld  him  standing  there. 

And  it  is  beautiful  to  see  how  they  used  both 
these  methods  in  setting  before  us  the  great  prin- 
ciple that  is  embodied  in  these  words  from  the 
thirteenth  chapter  of  John — the  mastership  of 
Jesus  Christ :  "  Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord :  and 
ye  say  well;  for  so  I  am."  Both  in  what  they 
directly  represent  of  the  masterly  qualities  in 
Christ,  and  the  way  in  which  he  displayed  all 
these  lordly  powers  of  his,  and  then  in  those 
subtle  references  here  and  there  throughout,  in 
which  they  speak  indirectly  of  him,  they  let  us 
into  the  spell  of  his  influence  over  their  hearts. 
We  get  such  a  representation  as  we  have  not  of 
any  other  personality  in  history  of  what  our 
Lord  was  to  these  friends  of  his,  and  what  we 
may  be  sure  he  would  be  to  us. 

When,  combining  these  things,  we  turn  to 
pick  out  one  by  one  the  outstanding  features  of 

E 


54        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

this  mastery  of  Christ,  it  is  not  hard  to  single  out 
the  most  conspicuous  ones.  There  was,  first  of 
all,  his  mastery  of  truth,  and  that  was  a  wonderful 
thing.  How  it  stood  out  the  instant  you  came 
into  his  presence !  You  know  when  you  are  with 
any  man  or  woman  whether  it  is  a  guesser  and 
groper  you  are  talking  with,  or  whether  it  is  some 
one  upon  whose  soul  the  light  has  fallen.  And 
the  moment  we  draw  near  to  Christ  we  realize 
instantly  we  are  with  a  unique  One,  not  guessing 
his  way  along,  piecing  together  little  by  little  the 
results  of  other  days  and  experiences,  and  trying 
to  spell  out  life's  great  lesson.  We  realize  that 
we  are  with  One  to  whom  the  great  area  of  truth 
lies  open  with  the  sun  blazing  upon  it,  who  thinks 
those  things  that  he  has  seen  with  his  Father, 
and  that  he  does  not  have  painfully  to  recall  by 
exercise  of  memory  anything  at  all,  but  that  it 
lies  all  open  before  him,  as  the  living,  blazing 
reality  of  life.  There  is  no  other  master  of  truth 
anywhere  through  the  ages  toward  whom  we  feel, 
as  we  instinctively  feel  when  we  come  near  to  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  realize  that  here  at  least  we 
have  come  on  One  who  has,  as  Simon  Peter  said, 
"  the  words  of  eternal  life,"  who  is  "  the  way,  the 
truth,  and  the  life,"  who  is  himself  just  the  light 
of  the  world,  so  that  one  cannot  come  near  him 
without  realizing  that  one  is  beneath  the  influence 
of  One  who  has  in  his  understanding  all  the  great 
secrets  of  what  we  would  know. 


OUR   LORD   AND    MASTER  55 

And    it    is   not   only   that   one    feels    Christ's 
mastery  of  the  substance  of  truth,  but  it  is  almost 
equally  wonderful — indeed  to  the  men  and  women 
who  listen  to  him  at  times  it  seems  more  wonder- 
ful— to  see  and  feel  his  skilful  and  unsurpassed 
way  of  expressing  the  truth  to  men.  It  is  one  thing 
to  see  the  truth;  it  is  sometimes  a  very  difficult 
thing  to  say  it.    My  father  was  a  lawyer,  and  one 
of  the  ablest  men  I  ever  knew.    I  remember,  as  a 
boy,  hearing  him  one  evening  at  the  dinner-table 
speaking  about  a  case  he  was  trying,  and  the  an- 
guish he  was  experiencing  in  that  case.     "  I  see 
the  truth  of  this  case  as  clear  as  the  noonday 
sun,"  he  said.     "  I  cannot  describe  to  you  the 
pain  it  is  to  me  to  try  to  put  this  truth  to  the 
twelve  men  who  sit  in  that  jury-box  up  there.     I 
must  make  them  see  and  feel  that  truth  as  I  see 
it."    The  wonder  of  our  Lord  was  that  he  knew 
how  much  of  his  great  truth  men  could  not  take, 
and  he  knew  how  much  they  could  take  and  how 
much  he  must  patiently  wait  with  for  a  little 
while.     We  see  him  using  his  simple  figures,  or 
using  the  most  direct  approach,  or  taking  the  in- 
cidents of  his  own  personal  relationship  with  them 
and  building  upon  them  that  he  might  bring  his 
truth  at  last  into  their  lives.     And  the  more  one 
turns  back  to  that  picture  that  the  Evangelists 
draw,  the  more  he  simply  bows  his  head  in  won- 
der before  Christ's  absolute  mastery  of  truth. 
And  there  is,  secondly,  Christ's  mastery  over 


56        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

nature  and  life.  From  that  first  day  at  the  wed- 
ding at  Cana  of  Galilee,  when  **  the  conscious 
water  saw  its  Lord  and  blushed,"  down  to  the 
very  last  day  when  the  gates  of  death  rolled  apart 
for  him  and  he  came  out  free  from  all  that  had 
bound  him,  we  see  in  Jesus  Christ  the  first  one 
who  knew  the  secrets  that  are  hidden  from  us, 
the  great  Master  of  the  world's  controlled  ener- 
gies and  powers,  who  walked  through  the  world 
not  as  its  plaything,  not  as  one  acted  upon  and 
coerced  by  all  he  experienced,  but  as  one  who 
could  speak  to  the  sea  and  it  obeyed  him,  who 
could  command  the  energies  of  life  everywhere 
that  men  could  only  touch  the  fringes  of,  and  find 
them  his  willing  and  humble  slaves. 

And,  what  is  more  wonderful  even  than  that, 
is  his  mastery  over  life,  over  events,  over  time  and 
space,  which  are  the  vestments  of  our  living. 
Most  of  us  do  not  live  our  lives  at  all.  It  is  our 
lives  that  live  us.  We  will  do  this  morning  not 
what  we  will  to  do,  but  what  has  been  suggested 
to  us.  Environment  is  the  framework  that  con- 
trols all  our  living.  Our  thoughts  are  controlled 
by  the  suggestions  of  what  other  people  have  said. 
Our  acts  are  controlled,  not  by  some  carefully 
thought-out  principle,  but  by  the  whim  or  the 
caprice  or  the  mood  of  the  hour,  or  by  the  acci- 
dent of  the  association  in  which  we  happen  to  be. 
But  we  turn  back  to  the  life  of  Jesus,  and  it  is 
very  different  from  every  other  life.     Here  was 


OUR   LORD   AND    MASTER  57 

One  who  really  lived  his  life,  who  was  not  lived 
by  it,  who  was  not  controlled  by  the  chance  occur- 
rences of  the  days,  but  put  all  these  into  his  own 
great  original  free-developing  project  unhindered 
and  unhampered  to  the  end.  I  do  not  wonder  that 
he  called  himself  the  life,  and  that  those  who  came 
near  to  him  felt  the  thrill  of  a  great  living  energy, 
not  merely  a  great  teacher,  not  merely  a  beauti- 
ful character,  not  merely  the  best  man,  but  knew 
that  somehow  what  they  called  God,  the  great 
living  Power  that  lies  back  of  all  things,  was 
there  for  them  in  him  as  it  never  had  been  in 
any  other. 

One  notes  as  he  looks  back  the  mastery  that  he 
wielded  over  truth  and  over  things  and  over  life. 
And  one  notes,  in  the  third  place,  his  mastery 
over  men.  We  read  at  the  very  beginning  of  his 
public  ministry  that  he  did  not  need  that  any- 
body should  tell  him  what  men  were  thinking 
about,  for  he  himself  knew  what  was  in  men,  that 
he  had  an  eye  that  ran  right  down  to  the  very 
initial  springs  and  impulses  and  motives  of  men, 
that  from  the  very  beginning  he  knew  who  the 
man  was  who  was  to  betray  him.  All  life  lay  out 
before  him  like  an  open  book,  and  he  lived  on  in 
the  world  a  free  life,  was  master  of  the  world  that 
he  lived  in,  because  he  knew  fully  and  completely 
the  inner  life  of  those  with  whom  he  mingled.  It 
is  that  that  makes  him  still  to  us,  and  will  make 
him    always    to    men,    the   central,    outstanding 


58        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

figure.  Look  at  him  in  those  last  days.  Men 
thought  they  were  crushing  him;  they  thought 
that  he  was  the  victim  of  all  that  was  taking  place ; 
that  he  was  the  judged  one.  As  we  look  back,  we 
see  quite  contrariwise.  He  is  the  Judge,  and 
those  round  about  him  the  judged.  They  take 
their  place  from  their  attitude  and  relationship 
to  him,  the  Lord  Christ  whom  we  shall  see  high 
on  the  throne  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel 
and  all  the  life  of  man.  It  is  just  so  still.  Some 
of  you  may  have  seen  in  "  Life  "  a  clever  review 
of  Mr.  George  Bernard  Shaw's  attempt  to  de- 
scribe in  a  book  to  our  day  afresh  the  personality 
of  Jesus  Christ.  The  reviewer  in  "  Life  "  does 
not  speak  at  all  of  this  book  as  he  speaks  of  those 
that  he  had  been  reviewing.  Of  this  book  he 
speaks  gravely  and  reverently,  and  he  says  that 
it  is  a  daring  thing  Mr.  Shaw  has  tried  to  do,  for 
no  man  ever  tries  to  describe  Christ  without  end- 
ing up  by  exposing  himself.  Every  effort  on  the 
part  of  a  man  to  draw  a  picture  of  Jesus  Christ 
simply  results  in  his  drawing  his  own  picture ;  for 
Christ  stands  to  judge  all  of  those  who  would 
judge  him.  We  see  him  now,  just  as  we  saw  him 
looking  back  across  the  years.  Master  of  all  the 
life  that  he  moves  among. 

And,  only  once  more,  we  see  him  not  only  in 
his  mastery  of  truth  and  his  mastery  of  life  and 
his  mastery  of  men,  but  we  see  him  also  as  the 
perfect  Master  of  himself.    Pick  out  two  or  three 


OUR    LORD   AND    MASTER  59 

outstanding  things  in  the  last  week  of  his  earthly 
life.  For  one  thing,  there  was  no  anger  at  false 
friendship.  Now,  if  ever  in  life  you  and  I  can 
justify  anger  it  is  when  we  come  upon  disloyalty 
and  treachery  in  friendship.  That  is  the  one  last 
unpardonable  sin.  And  our  Lord  came  upon  that 
in  that  last  week.  A  man  who  had  been  in  his 
company  for  three  years,  for  whom  he  had  done 
everything,  came  now  at  the  last  to  betray  him 
with  a  kiss.  How  does  he  greet  him  ?  I  have  no 
doubt  that  it  was  in  the  heart  of  Christ  even  if  it 
was  not  in  the  words.  When  Judas  came  to  be- 
tray him  with  that  treacherous  kiss,  Jesus  did  not 
say,  ''  Traitor!  Thief!  "  but,  ''  Friend!  Friend, 
wherefore  art  thou  come? ''  There  was  no  anger 
or  wrath  at  disloyalty  in  friendship. 

There  was  no  despair  at  apparent  failure. 
Now,  there  is  no  denying  it.  Men  did  think,  as 
they  looked  at  what  was  taking  place,  that  Christ 
had  failed.  We  know  he  did  not  fail ;  but  as  men 
gazed  at  his  work  then,  what  was  there  to  show 
for  it  ?  He  came  to  his  own  and  his  own  received 
him  not.  For  three  thousand  years  God  had  been 
educating  the  Hebrew  nation  to  recognize  the 
Messiah.  Now  the  Messiah  had  been  offered  to 
this  nation  and  it  rejected  him.  He  came  and 
gathered  a  company  of  men  and  women  around 
him.  It  was  largest  at  the  beginning.  One  by 
one  they  began  to  break  away  from  him  until 
there  were  Twelve,  the  Twelve  apostles.     One 


60        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

day  he  asked  them  if  they  too  were  going  to 
leave  him.  And  they  did.  At  last  he  was  cru- 
cified with  only  two  thieves  for  his  companions, 
and  they  were  nailed  to  trees  so  that  they  could 
not  run  away.  Men  looked  to  his  life,  and  what 
was  there  to  show  for  it  ?  Yet,  right  in  the  midst 
of  that  great  havoc  we  hear  him  say,  ''  Father,  I 
have  finished  the  work  that  thou  gavest  me  to  do." 
And  not  only  was  there  no  anger  at  betrayed 
friendship  and  no  despair  over  apparent  failure, 
but  there  was  no  reproach  of  God's  goodness. 
There  are  many  here  who  have  reproached  God. 
They  have  faced  life's  great  tragedies.  Life  that 
they  loved  has  seemed  ruthlessly  taken  away  from 
them.  Little  voices  that  have  done  no  wrong, 
that  made  music  about  the  home,  were  stilled  so 
that  they  could  not  hear  them  again,  and  they 
looked  out  on  life  and  wondered  how  men  could 
believe  in  the  goodness  and  justice  and  the  love 
of  God.  And  here  was  God's  own  Son,  who 
out  of  the  great  anguish  and  misery  had  cried — 
and  no  one  can  guess  the  meaning  of  that  cry — 
*'  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken 
me?  "  Yet,  at  the  last,  no  reproach,  no  word  of 
reproach  or  sorrow,  but  only  the  trusting,  loving 
voice  of  a  little  child  lying  down  to  sleep  in  arms 
that  it  perfectly  trusted.  "  Father,  into  thy  hands 
I  commend  my  spirit."  Was  there  ever  in  all  the 
world — is  there  now  any  one  who  shows  himself 
so  completely,  so  absolutely  the  master  of  men? 


OUR    LORD    AND    MASTER  6 1 

"  Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord :  and  ye  do  well ; 
for  so  I  am." 

And  in  some  sense  Christ's  mastery  has  been 
accepted  across  the  years.  All  that  we  need  to  do 
is  to  take  the  life  that  has  been  in  the  world  since 
Christ  came  and  compare  it  with  the  life  that  was 
here  before  his  influence  was  wielded  upon  the 
earth  to  see  how  deeply  his  mastery  has  pene- 
trated. Take  the  changed  life  for  women.  Take 
any  area  of  the  world  to-day  where  Christ  has 
not  been  recognized  even  nominally  as  Master 
and  Lord,  and  compare  that  area  of  the  world 
with  our  own  land,  or  any  part  of  Christendom. 
You  see  it  in  the  ideals  of  womanhood,  and  the 
place  of  the  child  in  society,  and  the  obligation  of 
different  classes,  and  the  attitude  toward  the  un- 
seen. Even  the  little  acceptance  of  Christ's  mas- 
tery that  there  has  been  has  changed  the  world. 
And  thank  God  that  there  have  been  those  men 
and  women,  many  or  few,  who  have  yielded  their 
lives  completely  to  the  mastery  of  Christ!  Some 
of  them  we  have  known,  and  they  stand  out  for  us 
as  a  comforting,  satisfying  Christian  apologetic. 
We  know  these  lives  in  their  beauty  and  harmony 
and  peace  and  strength  and  contentment  and  fruit- 
fulness.  We  know,  tracing  their  qualities  back  to 
their  source,  that  there  must  be  some  true  origin, 
that  Jesus  Christ  must  be  Master  and  Lord,  if  he 
could  bear  such  fruitage  in  these  lives. 

But  when  all  that  has  been  said,  is  it  not  still 


62        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

true  that  the  one  pathetic  and  tragic  thing  about 
the  earth  to-day  is  that  Jesus  Christ's  mastership 
is  so  Httle  recognized,  that  men  and  women  in  such 
partial  ways  have  brought  their  lives  under  it? 
Is  there  one  greater  need  now  in  ourselves,  in  our 
nation,  or  internationally,  than  that  Christ  should 
be  actually  accepted  as  the  Master  and  the  Lord 
of  the  world  ?  We  need  to  accept,  for  one  thing — 
let  us  make  it  very  clear  and  direct — we  need  to 
accept  the  mastery  of  Christ's  idea  of  rights.  We 
are  where  we  are  to-day  just  because  we  have  not 
done  that.  Christ's  idea  of  a  right  was  that  it 
was  something  that  he  had  authority  to  forego. 
Our  idea  of  a  right  is  of  something  that  we  are 
justified  in  claiming.  Now  there  is  all  the  differ- 
ence in  the  world  between  those  two  ideas  of 
right — ^between  the  conception  of  a  right  as  some- 
thing we  have  a  right  to  give  up,  and  the  concep- 
tion of  a  right  as  something  that  we  have  a  right 
to  claim  and  insist  upon.  Jesus  Christ's  concep- 
tion of  a  right  was  of  something  that  its  pos- 
sessor was  justified  in  giving  away  and  not  keep- 
ing. He  was  on  an  equality  with  God,  and  he 
counted  not  that  equality  a  right  to  be  kept;  but 
he  gave  it  up  and  emptied  himself  and  became 
obedient  unto  death.  What  makes  all  the  havoc 
and  the  shame  of  the  world?  Why,  simply  that 
men  and  nations  insist  upon  construing  rights  as 
obligations  of  assertion  instead  of  authorities  for 
surrender.     And  in  our  own  lives  is  it  not  just 


OUR   LORD    AND    MASTER  63 

SO  ?  And  can  we  ever  have  Christ's  peace  and  joy 
in  us  and  in  the  world  until  we  accept  the  mastery 
of  his  conception  of  rights  as  of  something  we  are 
justified,  not  in  claiming,  but  in  giving  away?  If 
it  is  my  right,  I  have  a  right  to  give  it  up. 

And,  in  the  second  place,  zve  need  to  accept  the 
mastery  of  Christ's  conception  of  duty.  We  are 
being  slowly  schooled  away  from  it  to-day.  Our 
modern  theories  of  pedagogy  are  little  by  little 
sapping  the  rigid,  high  conception  of  duty  out  of 
our  life.  If  we  do  not  like  to  do  the  thing,  if  it 
does  not  please  us,  why,  it  is  nobody's  place,  we 
are  told  nowadays,  to  coerce  us  with  any  external 
obligation  to  do  anything.  If  we  cannot  be  made 
to  see  that  it  would  be  nice  for  us  to  do  it,  nowa- 
days we  do  not  feel  there  is  any  obligation  upon 
us  to  do  it  at  all.  We  need  to  get  back  to  our 
Lord's  conception,  "  The  cup  that  my  Father  hath 
given  me,  shall  I  not  drink  it?  "  "  The  will  that 
my  Father  hath  set  for  me,  shall  I  not  fulfil  it?  " 
"  The  work  that  my  Father  hath  given  me  to  do, 
shall  I  not  accomplish  it?"  How  much  better 
that  is!  We  would  have  completely  to  rewrite 
those  old  words  of  his  to  bring  them  into  accord 
with  our  contemporary  frame  of  mind.  ''  Why 
did  you  seek  me?  "  Jesus  should  have  said  to  his 
father  and  mother :  "  Why  did  you  not  seek  me  in 
the  temple  ?  Did  you  not  know  that  it  was  a  very 
interesting  place  for  me  to  be  ?  "  ''  No,"  he  ought 
to  have  said  to  the  people  of  Capernaum,  "  no ; 


64        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

I  cannot  come  back  to  your  city  and  preach.  I 
am  interested  in  seeing  the  whole  of  Palestine.  It 
is  interesting  me  to  go  about  preaching  the  gospel 
in  other  cities  also,  instead  of  just  one  or  two 
near  my  old  home."  "  I  am  interested  in  finishing 
the  work  that  was  given  me  to  do,  because  the 
night  is  coming  when  a  man  cannot  work  any 
more."  "  It  is  very  interesting  to  me  to  look  for- 
ward to  going  up  to  Jerusalem  to  die."  No, 
never  such  softness.  *'  I  innst  be  about  my  Fath- 
er's business."  "  I  must  preach  the  kingdom  in 
other  cities  also,  for  therefore  was  I  sent."  "  I 
must  work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me  while 
it  is  day,  for  the  night  is  coming."  "  I  must  go 
up  to  Jerusalem  to  die."  We  need  to  bring  back 
into  our  lives  the  heart  of  our  Lord's  noble  sense 
of  righteousness,  of  the  thing  that  ought  to  be 
done  because  it  was  the  thing  that,  in  the  will  of 
God,  it  was  right  to  do.  We  call  him  Master  and 
Lord,  but  he  is  no  Master  and  Lord  of  ours,  if  we 
do  not  accept  the  mastery  of  his  idea  of  rights,  if 
we  do  not  accept  the  mastery  of  his  sense  of  duty. 
And  accepting  them  both  will  answer  a  great 
many  problems  for  us.  Somebody  gave  a  friend 
this  question  one  morning  at  one  of  the  Northfield 
Conferences :  "  Mr.  Speer  spoke  last  night  of 
friendship  as  willingness  to  serve.  Should  we  do 
things  for  our  friends  that  they  are  capable  of 
doing  for  themselves,  just  because  we  love  them? 
Or,  if  we  strengthen  our  own  characters  in  this 


WAYLAND  HOYT 

Pastor.  1882-1889;  Stated  Supply,  1904,  1905 


OUR   LORD   AND    MASTER  65 

way,  are  we  not  doing  it  at  the  risk  of  weakening 
and  making  selfish  the  character  of  our  friend? 
Should  we  allow  ourselves  to  be  imposed  upon? 
Is  that  one  of  the  sacrifices  a  Christian  must 
bear?"  Well,  the  life  of  Christ  will  solve  our 
problem  for  us.  He  had  rights  that  he  forewent, 
and  he  had  duties  that  nothing  could  lead  him  to 
forego.  And  we  have  rights  and  duties  in  our 
lives  also.  Any  right  is  mine.  So  long  as  it  is 
just  mine,  I  am  absolutely  entitled  to  let  it  go. 
Nine  times  out  of  ten  my  duty  will  be  to  surren> 
der  my  right;  but  the  tenth  time,  when  it  is  my 
duty  to  exercise  my  right,  my  right  is  transformed 
into  something  more  than  a  right  and  has  risen 
into  what  is  higher  and  nobler  than  a  mere  right, 
into  a  duty,  where  my  right  is  lost  in  the  larger 
obligation  that  I  am  under  to  others. 

But  Jesus  Christ  loved  as  no  other  lover  ever 
loved,  and  his  hand  was  as  firm,  and  his  strength 
and  his  will  as  clean  and  as  unbending,  as  any 
hand  and  will  we  have  ever  known.  In  our  lives 
we  shall  have  no  trouble  in  friendship,  in  home 
obligations,  in  the  work  of  our  own  local  church, 
in  loyalty  to  the  Christian  body  to  which  we  be- 
long, in  dealing  with  our  social  and  political 
problems,  in  thinking  out  our  own  course  of  ac- 
tion, in  relationship  to  the  queer  tangle  of  inter- 
national relationships,  we  shall  have  no  insoluble 
difficulties  if  we  are  sure  and  resolved  here,  ac- 
cepting absolutely  the  mastery  of  Christ's  con- 


66       THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

ception  and  use  of  his  rights  and  the  mastery  of 
Christ's  conception  and  exercise  of  his  duties. 

And,  thirdly,  we  need  to  bring  our  lives  under 
the  mastery  of  Christ's  conception  of  what  men 
and  women  ought  to  he  and  can  be.  So  many 
times  we  lose  this.  Do  you  suppose  a  girl  who 
smokes  and  drinks  would  feel  absolutely  comfort- 
able reclining  with  that  little  group  in  the  upper 
room  and  watching  the  Lord  going  about  wash- 
ing the  feet  of  his  disciples  and  coming  at  last  to 
herself?  Do  you  think  she  really  would  feel  abso- 
lutely comfortable  ?  I  do  not  want  to  distort  life 
by  lifting  up  trivial  and  inconsequential  things, 
but  those  trivial  and  inconsequential  things,  with 
many  of  us,  are  the  expressions  of  our  life,  and 
with  many  of  us  they  are  the  determinations  of 
our  future  living.  If  Jesus  Christ  is  to  be  our 
Master  and  our  Lord,  why,  the  whole  of  life  has 
got  to  be  handed  over  to  him.  You  cannot  keep 
back  certain  hours  of  the  evening;  you  cannot 
keep  back  certain  exercises  and  entertainments 
and  amusements ;  you  cannot  keep  back  a  certain 
segment  of  the  will  or  mind.  You  cannot  do  that 
and  have  Jesus  Christ  as  Lord  and  Master.  He 
does  not  want  any  divided  loyalty  and  that  kind 
of  half-faithfulness  and  half-treachery.  He  will 
not  be  Lord  at  all,  if  he  cannot  be  Lord  of  all. 
And  he  asks  here  to-day  in  our  lives  that,  calling 
him  Lord  and  Master,  we  should  really  let  him 
be  so  in  all  the  common  things  of  our  lives. 


OUR    LORD   AND    MASTER  dy 

My  friends,  more  than  that  is  involved  in  ac- 
cepting the  mastery  of  Christ's  ideals  for  our 
lives.  It  is  not  only  believing  that  you  and  I 
ought  to  be  the  kind  of  men  and  women  who 
would  be  comfortable  in  the  actual  presence  of 
Christ ;  but  it  is  also  believing  that  we  can  be  the 
kind  of  men  and  women  that  Jesus  Christ  was, 
that  there  are  no  limits  of  attainment  in  life  to 
those  who  really  yield  themselves  up  to  be  de- 
veloped by  the  molding  influence  and  power  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

And,  lastly,  we  need  to  accept  not  only  the 
mastery  of  Christ's  ideals  of  rights  and  duties 
and  of  character.  We  need  to  accept  also  the 
mastery  of  his  inward  spirit  and  principle  of 
life — because  all  around  us  to-day  a  quite  con- 
tradictory spirit  and  principle  is  being  exalted. 
The  very  spirit  and  principle  of  which  his  Cross 
was  meant  to  be  the  utter  repudiation,  the  spirit 
and  principle  of  self-assertion  and  energic  will 
to  mark  out  our  own  way  and  push  our  own  pro- 
cesses through  as  individuals  and  as  nations,  is 
the  spirit  of  our  day.  It  is  the  way  of  strength 
and  power,  so  different  from  his  way.  "  Except 
ye  be  changed  and  become  as  little  children,  ye 
cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God.  So  different  is 
all  this  of  our  time  from  the  spirit  and  principle 
of  his  life  who  was  as  a  lamb  before  his  shearers, 
dumb,  opening  not  his  mouth,  who  would  not 
quench  the  smoking  flax  nor  break  the  bruised 


68        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

reed,   so  different  is  all  that  from  this  that  is 
round  about  us  to-day! 

Which  is  the  easier  of  the  two  ?  Nietzsche  told 
us  that  Christ's  theory  was  so  pallid  and  anemic 
that  it  was  a  message  for  weaklings  and  not  a 
good  robust  gospel  for  a  world  of  living  men 
and  women.  Try  the  two  and  see  which  is 
harder,  self-assertion,  trying  to  have  one's  own 
way,  or  the  way  of  Christ's  Cross,  the  law  of  a 
positive  and  selfless  love,  the  spirit  of  a  simple, 
inoffensive  child.  Let  anybody  try  the  two  and 
see  which  of  them  is  the  harder.  The  worship 
of  self-will,  the  enthroning  of  energy  and  power, 
that  is  the  tame  and  pallid  and  easy  course.  But 
I  suspect  that  maybe  there  will  be  drops  of  blood 
on  our  white  robes  too  if  we  go  the  Gethsemane 
way,  and  maybe  prints  of  nails  and  crowns  of 
thorns  there  where  the  crosses  stand.  But  that 
was  the  way  that  the  Lord  and  Master  chose. 
And  nobody  does  us  any  kindness  who  offers  us  a 
little  cup  of  rose-water  instead  of  that  cup  that 
could  not  pass  away  from  him  except  he  drink 
it.  "  Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord :  and  ye  say 
well ;  for  so  I  am."  Yes ;  he  is.  But  is  he  mine? 
Mine?  Truly  and  eternally,  is  he  mine?  Let  us 
let  him  be  to-day. 


PERSONAL  RESPONSIBILITY 

T.  EDWIN  BROWN,  D.  D. 


VVouldest  thou  be  made  whole? — ^John  5  :  6. 


PERSONAL  RESPONSIBILITY 


This  question  went  straight  and  searchingly  from 
the  health-giving  heart  of  Christ  to  the  central 
personality  of  "  The  Impotent  Man."  It  sepa- 
rated him  for  the  moment  from  his  sickness  and 
its  causes,  from  his  friends,  if  he  had  any,  and 
their  neglect,  and  from  the  sick  who  lay  help- 
less around  him  in  the  Bethesda  porches.  It  made 
his  healing,  then  and  there,  a  matter  of  his  own 
will,  a  will  accepting  responsibility,  exercising 
choice. 

John  Bunyan  has  been  criticized  because  he 
made  Pilgrim  start  alone,  without  wife,  or  child, 
or  friend,  in  his  flight  from  the  City  of  Destruc- 
tion. 

Bunyan  knew  just  what  he  was  about.  He 
loved  wife,  children,  friends  devotedly,  and  was 
deeply  concerned  for  their  religious  welfare. 
What  he  wanted  to  teach  in  his  great  allegory 
was  the  truth  that  the  soul  in  its  inner  struggles 
and  triumphs  is  solitary.  The  call  comes  to  the 
man  himself,  is  heard  by  the  man  himself,  must 
be  answered  by  the  man  himself.  The  historian 
Green  tells  us  that  "  To  the  Puritan,  religion  in 
its   iilnermost   sense   had   to   do,   not   with   the 

71 


y2        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

churches,  but  with  the  individual  soul.  It  was 
each  Christian  man  who  held  in  his  power  the 
issues  of  life  and  death.  It  was  in  each  Christian 
conscience  that  the  strife  was  waged  between 
heaven  and  hell.  In  the  outer  world  of  worship 
and  discipline  the  Puritan  might  call  himself  one 
of  many  brethren.  But  at  every  moment  of  his 
inner  existence,  in  the  hour  of  temptation  and 
struggle,  in  his  dark  and  troubled  wrestling  with 
sin,  in  the  glory  of  conversion  and  in  the  peace  of 
acceptance  with  God,  he  stood  utterly  alone." 
Had  such  a  suffocating  philosophy  as  that  of 
Omar  Khayyam  sounded  in  his  ears  to  quench  the 
flame  of  his  enthusiasm  for  righteousness  or  dull 
the  edge  of  his  sword,  the  Puritan  would  have 
answered : 

No  pieces  we  in  any  fateful  game, 
Nor  free  to  shift  on  Destiny  the  blame ; 

Each  soul  doth  tend  its  own  immortal  flame, 
Fans  it  to  heaven  or  smothers  it  in  shame. 

It  is  to  be  feared  that  this  principle  is  largely 
discounted  in  our  modern  life;  that  neither  the 
"  thou  "  element  nor  the  "  will  "  element  is  at 
the  fore.  Many,  even  of  the  best  and  strongest 
currents  of  our  thought  and  action,  often  by 
misunderstanding  of  their  true  relations,  are 
making  the  individual  of  less  and  less  account. 
One  of  the  most  alarming  facts  in  the  world  to- 
day is  the  too  large  absence  of  the  sense  of  per- 


PERSONAL   RESPONSIBILITY  J^i 

sonal  responsibility.  Men  move  in  masses.  They 
drift  with  the  current.  They  float,  like  so  much 
flotsam  and  jetsam,  with  the  ebb  and  flood  of 
the  tide. 

Until  1 9 14,  strangers  had  been  coming  to  our 
shores  by  the  million.  Natives  had  been  shifting 
their  homes  with  a  frequency  never  known  in 
any  land.  Very  few,  who  reached  mature  years, 
now  die  in  the  homes  wherein  they  were  born. 
There  are  gigantic  perils  in  these  ceaseless  move- 
ments of  population.  The  break-up  of  the  home 
often  means  the  upturning  of  the  foundations  of 
morality.  The  man  who  stands  out  distinct  and 
himself  in  the  village,  who  is  on  familiar  terms 
wath  the  merchant,  the  judge,  the  doctor,  the 
minister,  is  lost  in  the  city;  his  very  existence 
is  unknown  to  the  masses  of  his  fellow-citizens. 
Cities  are  great  destroyers  of  individuality. 

Industrial  forces  are  working  in  the  same  di- 
rection. Machinery  calls  and  crowds  the  work- 
ers into  huge  factories  and  mills,  where  they  are 
lumped  together  as  hands  and  known  as  numbers^ 

Commercial  forces  work  to  destroy  person- 
ality. Little  business  is  swallowed  up  by  big 
business.  Big  business  rolls  up  into  the  corpora- 
tion, the  syndicate,  the  trust,  each  man  disappear- 
ing more  and  more  deeply  into  the  increasing 
hugeness  of  the  corporate  mass.  And  so  men 
give  themselves  over,  to  have  their  opinions 
formed  for  them,  their  judgments  registered  for 


74        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

them,  their  standards  of  conscience  set  for  them, 
their  wills  exercised  for  them,  their  actions  de- 
termined for  them,  by  the  trust,  or  the  trade- 
union,  or  the  lodge,  or  the  political  party,  or  the 
social  set  to  which  they  belong.  Oh,  it  takes  one 
with  some  real  stuff,  and  grit  of  manhood,  to  get 
a  grip  upon  himself,  to  pull  himself  together, 
and  looking  himself  and  God  squarely  in  the  face 
to  say,  ''  I !  "  I,  a  name,  a  number,  a  nonentity, 
as  men  count  me — I  am  thy  child,  O  my  Fa- 
ther! ''Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?  " 
That  takes  strength,  and  faith,  and  self-respect, 
and  courage  too. 

Much  of  our  every-day  philosophy  is  tending 
toward  an  enforced  feebleness  of  will,  a  practi- 
cal disuse  of  the  power  of  personal  choice,  a 
waste  of  the  sense  of  personal  accountability. 
In  the  instruction  we  receive  concerning  our- 
selves, and  in  our  own  thinking  about  ourselves, 
we  seem  to  see  ourselves — these  mites,  these  in- 
finitesimal specks  of  dust — not  only  beat  upon 
and  beat  against  by  the  fierce  and  constant 
tempests  of  all  the  forces  of  life  about  us,  which 
we  call  environment,  but  beat  upon  also  by  the 
more  immense  and  immeasurable  forces  of  all 
the  past,  which  we  call  heredity.  And  these 
indeed  are  tremendous  forces.  History  does 
matter.  We  come  of  a  long  descent.  We  are 
parts  of  a  vast  whole.  And  we  often  seem  to 
ourselves  to  be  mere  nothings,  wholly  impotent. 


PERSONAL   RESPONSIBILITY  75 

bound  hand  and  foot  by  ropes  of  steel.  But  these 
forces,  tremendous  as  they  are,  are  not  the  only 
forces  that  determine  character  and  conduct  and 
history  and  destiny.  They  are  not  the  greatest 
force.  Under  God  himself,  the  force,  the  great 
determinator  of  character  is  this  speck,  this  atom, 
this  pigmy,  this  flesh  and  blood  and  spirit — this 
man.  A  son  of  God,  with  sparks  of  God's  all- 
creative  omnipotence  blazing  in  him,  this  creature 
who,  if  he  listens,  can  hear  in  himself  "  music  that 
mates  with  the  pulses  of  God,"  and  can  be  aware 
of  "  the  glory  that  runs  from  the  core  of  himself 
to  the  core  of  the  suns." 

But  much  of  our  social  philosophy  and  more 
of  our  social  practice  is  in  denial  of  this  founda- 
tion principle  of  personality.  The  socialism  of 
Karl  Marx  and  Ferdinand  Lassalle,  the  socialism 
"  made  in  Germany,"  the  socialism  that  is  stran- 
gling the  new-born  liberty  of  Russia  and  that 
among  most  of  the  nations  of  the  world  to-day  is 
doing  such  effective  work  for  its  German  mak- 
ers and  masters — that  socialism  w^as  born  in  the 
atmosphere  of  a  philosophy  which  avowed  that 
the  body  is  not  only  a  part  of  man's  being,  but 
the  whole  of  it ;  that  ''  man  is  what  he  eats  " ;  that 
''  man  has  no  other  God  before  man  "  ;  that ''  man 
alone  is  our  God,  our  Father,  our  Judge,  our  Re- 
deemer, our  law  and  rule,  the  Alpha  and  Omega 
of  our  political,  moral,  public,  and  domestic  life 
and  work,"     The  inevitable  fruitage  of  such  a 


y6       THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

root-atmosphere  as  this  could  only  be  material- 
istic fatalism.  And  so  we  find  one  of  the  leaders 
of  this  "  made  in  Germany  "  socialism  avowing 
that  "  the  Marxist  absolutely  denies  the  free- 
dom of  the  will.  Every  human  action  is  inevi- 
table. Nothing-  happens  either  by  chance  or 
choice.  Everything  is  because  it  cannot  but  be." 
This  pernicious  heresy  is  ravaging  society  like 
a  veritable  epidemic  of  tuberculosis  of  the  moral 
spine.  The  chairman  of  a  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  Campaign  Committee  published, 
as  one  of  the  reasons  why  he  was  interested  in 
work  for  boys,  this :  "  The  boy  is  not  responsible. 
His  life  depends  entirely  on  his  association  and 
environment."  A  leading  journal  of  reform, 
wishing  to  explain  the  increase  of  vice  among 
young  girls  in  great  cities,  published  a  jingle  end- 
ing with  these  lines : 

I  guess  you  know  what  some  don't  know, 
And  others  know  right  well, 
That  sweat-shops  don't  grow  angel  wings, 
That  working  girls  is  easy  things, 
And  poverty's  the  straitest  road  to  hell. 

Oh,  this  is  dreadful.  It  has  dreadful  prevalence, 
and  a  dreadful  menace.  To  teach  the  boy  that  he 
is  simply  the  victim  of  his  surroundings,  and  the 
girl  that  poverty  or  evil  conditions  of  work  make 
virtue  impossible — this  is  to  cut  every  sinew  of 
moral   resiliency  and   destroy   every    force   and 


PERSONAL   RESPONSIBILITY  77 

motive  for  high  character.  We  cannot  be  too 
eager  to  improve  environment  and  improve 
heredity.  But  we  may  be  so  eager  about  this  need- 
ful work  as  to  fail  to  be  saying  to  our  boys  and 
girls,  our  men  and  women,  with  all  the  empha- 
sis that  the  noblest  examples  in  history  of  tri- 
umph over  circumstance  and  triumph  over  he- 
redity can  supply,  "  Watch  your  step."  You 
watch  your  steps.  "  Keep  thy  heart  with  all  dili- 
gence." "  Yield  not  to  temptation."  You — 
yield  not,  for  yielding  is  sin,  not  a  surrender  to 
fate,  but  sin. 

The  same  will-destroying  tendency  is  seen  in 
the  realm  of  religion.  It  is  every  man's  duty  to 
act  upon  the  truth  he  knows.  If  one  knows  that 
something  is  wrong  in  the  relation  between  him- 
self and  God,  that  the  mission  of  Jesus  Christ  is 
to  effect  a  right  relation,  that  a  personal  choice 
of  Christ  as  Saviour  and  Lord  is  essential  if 
Christ  is  to  do  his  work  in  the  soul,  then  the 
urgency  and  immediateness  of  the  duty  are 
coincident  with  the  knowledge. 

To  be  sure,  those  who  are  already  walking  in 
the  Christian  way  have  much  to  do  with  the  en- 
trance of  others  upon  that  way.  There  is  in- 
struction to  be  given,  misunderstanding  to  be 
corrected,  hindrance  to  be  removed,  treasures  of 
Christian  character  to  be  displayed.  Personal 
influence,  personal  persuasion,  the  personal  touch 
of  friend  on  friend,  neighbor  on  neighbor,  shop- 


yS        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

mate  on  shopmate  must  always  have  much 
to  do  with  the  propagation,  by  contagion,  of 
Christian  faith  and  character.  We  are  to  be 
lights  amid  the  world's  darkness.  Would  to  God 
we  were,  keeping  the  spiritual  atmosphere  of  our 
churches  and  communities  all  ablaze  with  the 
light.  Would  to  God  we  were  all  prophets,  all 
teachers,  all  evangelists,  passionately  eager  to 
have  the  lives  of  our  fellows  set  as  stars  in  the 
diadem  of  our  Lord.  But  all  these  manifest  duties 
are  often  urged  in  such  a  way  that  those  on 
whose  behalf  they  are  urged  come  to  feel  that 
they  have  no  immediate  and  solitary  responsi- 
bility in  the  matter.  A  few  years  ago  I  heard  a 
distinguished  evangelist  pressing  the  duty  of  per- 
sonal work  for  others.  He  told  this  story.  A 
Christian  worker,  in  a  time  of  revival,  called  on 
a  friend,  a  learned  judge.  To  the  visitor's  affec- 
tionate appeal  on  behalf  of  Christ,  the  judge, 
moved  to  tears,  replied :  "  I  accept  your  invitation. 
I  have  been  waiting  for  three  years  for  some  one 
to  extend  it."  Duty  and  the  reward  for  doing  it 
had  waited  during  that  long  period. 

Last  winter,  on  his  Kansas  City  platform,  Mr. 
Sunday  told  this  story :  ''  In  one  of  our  meetings 
a  lady  asked  me  to  talk  to  her  husband.  I  said, 
'  Talk  to  him  yourself.'  '  Oh,  I  couldn't  do  that' 
That  night  he  was  at  the  meeting  close  to  the 
platform  on  which  she  sat  as  a  member  of  the 
chorus.    Well,  I  nagged  at  her,  and  almost  had  to 


PERSONAL   RESPONSIBILITY  79 

drag  her  from  the  platform  to  get  her  to  do  some- 
thing for  Christ  Finally  she  went  down  and  said, 
*  Charles,  I  have  been  praying  for  you  to  come  to 
Christ'  He  burst  into  tears  and  said,  '  I  have 
been  waiting  two  weeks  for  you  to  ask  me  that, 
Bess.'  "  These  stories  were  deserved  rebukes 
for  the  neglectful  Christians.  But  as  they  were 
told,  there  was  no  rebuke  either  by  word  or  tone 
for  the  crime  of  the  procrastinating  husband  or 
judge.  Are  not  such  stories  illustrations  of  the 
degeneracy  of  the  public  and  personal  will,  and 
of  such  overemphasis  on  duty  on  the  one  side 
that  it  hoodwinks  the  conscience  of  duty  on  the 
other  side?  Is  it  not  a  crime  that  should  call 
forth  our  amazement  and  moral  indignation  that 
in  a  land  of  Christian  homes  and  sanctuaries, 
with  a  multitude  of  Christian  lives  flashing  forth 
the  light  of  Christ,  with  Christianity  increasingly 
embodying  itself  in  social  laws  and  customs, 
where  Christ  by  his  Spirit  is  continually  calling 
men  to  faith  and  obedience — is  it  not  a  shameful 
crime,  without  excuse,  which  a  man  confesses  as 
this  judge  and  this  husband  confessed,  when  he 
declares  that  he  has  been  living  for  weeks  or  for 
years  in  unforgiven  sin  and  in  refusal  of  the 
healing  of  the  Christ,  waiting  for  some  one  to 
tell  him  what  he  already  knows,  and  to  urge  him 
to  the  duty  of  which  he  is  already  fully  aware? 
The  personal  will  is  the  center  of  conduct.  It  is 
the  one  and  only  sufficient  power  by  which,  under 


80        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

the  grace  of  God,  each  man  has  to  possess  him- 
self of  his  character.  Human  history  rightly  re- 
fuses every  reference  to  a  quality  other  than  this. 
This  is  our  fundamental  Baptist  principle.  "  God 
and  the  Son,  and  nothing  between." 

Addison  Symonds  was  right  in  his  great  words, 
and  they  should  be  often  pondered  by  those  who 
blame  circumstances  for  their  sins,  or  the  neglect 
of  their  friends  for  their  failure  to  bathe  in  the 
love  of  Christ's  redemption  : 

Blame  not  the  times  in  which  we  Hve, 

Nor  fortune  frail  and  fugitive, — 

Blame  not  thy  parents,  nor  the  rule 

Of  vice  and  wrong  once  learned  at  school — 

But  blame  thyself,  O  man. 

Although  both  Heaven  and  earth  combined 
To  mold  thy  flesh  and  form  thy  mind ; 
Though  every  thought,  word,  action,  will, 
Was  formed  by  powers  beyond  thee, 
Still,  thou  art  thyself, — O  man. 

And  self  to  take  or  leave  is  free 
Feeling  its  own  sufficiency; 
In  spite  of  science,  spite  of  fate. 
The  Judge  within  thee,  soon  or  late, 
Will  blame  but  thee,  O  man. 

Say  not,  "  I  would  but  could  not ;  He 
Must  bear  the  blame  who  fashioned  me." 
Call  you  mere  change  of  motion  choice? 
Scorning  such  pleas,  the  inner  voice 
Cries,  "  Thine  the  deed,  O  man." 


PERSONAL   RESPONSIBILITY  8 1 

In  his  own  earthly  ministry  Christ  had  first- 
hand dealings  with  men  as  separate,  personal, 
responsible  souls.  The  philosophy  of  his  time 
was  a  pantheistic  materialism.  God  had  no  ex- 
istence apart  from  external  nature.  Unavoidable 
necessity  was  the  law  by  which  all  things  were 
governed.  The  moral  environment  of  Christ's 
day  was  such  as  the  Roman  satirists  describe  and 
the  walls  of  Pompeii  and  Herculaneum  picture. 
Iniquity  seemed  to  have  reached  the  end  of  its 
inventiveness  and  the  depth  of  its  inveterateness. 
Christ  knew  how  human  wills  are  weakened  and 
warped  by  false  philosophy  and  pernicious  habit. 
And  it  was  a  part  of  the  very  essence  of  his  Sav- 
iourhood,  finding  constant  illustration  in  his  own 
personal  doing  of  the  will  of  his  Father,  that 
he  came  to  renew  and  reenforce  weakened  wills. 
For  he  came  to  recover  and  to  save  lost  manhood. 
And  the  center  of  manhood,  the  soul's  holiest 
ground,  where  most  of  all  a  man  finds  his  kinship 
with  the  God  who  made  him,  is  the  will.  And 
so  Christ  dealt  with  personality.  It  has  been 
claimed  for  him  that  personality  was  his  dis- 
covery. It  was  the  marked  quality  of  his  minis- 
try, at  any  rate,  that  he  ministered  to  separate 
souls.  Whether  he  is  dealing  with  the  multitude 
on  the  mountain,  or  Nicodemus  in  the  secluded 
chamber  on  the  housetop ;  whether  with  the  crowd 
by  the  seashore,  or  the  lone  woman  by  the  well- 
side,   he  has  the  same  method.     It  is  not  the 


82        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

masses,  but  the  man;  not  the  crowd,  but  the 
conscience  he  is  seeking.  Peering  intently  into 
each  separate  face,  reaching  with  his  tender 
claimant  fingers,  electric  with  life-giving  truth, 
down  into  each  separate  heart,  this  Master  and 
Saviour  of  men  brought  his  redeeming  message 
into  the  throne-room  of  each  soul's  sovereign 
personality.  "  Repent,"  he  cried.  You  can 
change  your  mind,  your  character.  You  can. 
You  ought.  You,  the  finite  person,  in  the  presence 
and  by  the  help  of  God,  the  infinite  person. 
Change !  You  believe ;  you  obey ;  you  follow  me ! 
Would'st  thou  ?  Oh,  that  our  Lord's  tremendous 
emphasis  on  that  great  personal  pronoun  "  thou," 
and  his  gracious  insistence  on  the  responsive  ac- 
tion of  the  personal  choice,  might  come  with 
benign  and  inspiring  call  from  that  far-away 
porch  of  Bethesda,  to  our  own  hearts  to-day. 

Dear  brothers  and  sisters  of  this  Memorial 
Baptist  Church  of  Philadelphia!  You  are  re- 
joicing over  fifty  years  of  life,  and  of  opportunity, 
and  service  as  a  community  of  Christ's  disciples 
organized  into  a  Christian  church.  What,  under 
God,  has  helped  to  make  this  history  great  and 
influential?  Cooperation?  Yes,  indeed;  hearty, 
and  beautiful,  and  stedfast  cooperation.  But 
there  has  been  more  than  that.  Many  of  these 
cooperators  were  initiators  also.  They  took  the 
church,  its  mission,  its  interests  on  their  hearts. 
They  dreamed,  prayed,  worked,  gave  time  and 


PERSONAL    RESPONSIBILITY  83 

money  and  thought  for  it,  as  if  they  alone  were 
responsible  for  the  success  of  the  enterprise. 

Many  of  these  initiators  were  still  with  us  dur- 
ing my  pastorate  when  it  was  my  great  honor  to 
share  with  you  the  joys  of  your  jubilee,  twenty- 
five  years  ago.  What  a  splendid  company  of 
men  and  women  they  were!  And  how  sadly  I 
have  missed  the  faces  and  voices  and  hand-clasps 
of  so  many  of  them,  from  the  otherwise  delight- 
ful atmosphere  of  welcome  that  has  so  thrilled  and 
warmed  my  heart  during  these  halcyon,  historic 
days.  Initiators!  The  church  still  needs  them. 
The  world  still  needs  them.  It  was  a  fine  thing 
said  recently,  concerning  a  distinguished  English 
statesman :  He  comes  into  affairs  bringing  his 
own  atmosphere  with  him.  He  has  the  large 
serenity  of  one  who  is  at  home  in  his  own  mind, 
draws  water  from  his  own  well,  has 

that  inward  light 
That  makes  the  path  before  him  always  bright. 

That  is  the  sort  of  men  and  women  the  church 
needs.  Too  many  people  are  leaning  entirely  on 
the  drift  of  things  around  them.  They  have  no 
atmosphere,  no  wells  they  can  call  their  own.  O 
brothers,  dare  in  the  strength  of  God  to  be  initia- 
tors, as  well  as  cooperators,  if  you  would  carry 
your  history  where  "  yonder  the  trail  lies — 
ahead!" 

Picture  to  yourself  such  a  Christian,  such  a 


84        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

church-member,  such  a  home-builder,  such  a  citi- 
zen as  the  great  Master  Artist  of  character  can 
help  you  to  draw.  Dare  to  be  original — self- 
willed  because  Christ-willed.  Then  listen  as, 
with  the  pledge  of  copartnership  labor  in  his  per- 
suasive tones,  the  Master  asks :  "  Wouldest  thou 
become  a  Christian,  a  church-member,  a  home- 
builder,  a  citizen  like  that?  Wouldest  thou?" 
Oh,  answer  your  Masters  call  with  your  own  in- 
vincible, "  I  would.    I  will." 

And  what  shall  be  your  message  to  the  multi- 
tude of  irresolute,  undecided,  impotent  folk  all 
about  you?  This:  that  God's  time  of  salvation 
is  now — this  day,  this  hour.  Nothing  is  to  be 
waited  for;  no  rushing  winds  of  Pentecostal 
grace,  no  flaming  tongues  of  new  illumination, 
no  freshly  stirred  waters  of  social  religious  en- 
thusiasm, no  eloquent  pleading  of  eager  friends. 
Nothing  is  to  be  waited  for.  These  irresolute 
men  and  women  know  their  duty.  Their  own 
intuitions  have  taught  them.  Parents,  pastors, 
Sunday  School  teachers,  Christian  friends,  provi- 
dences of  God,  have  taught  them.  There  has  not 
been  an  hour  in  their  responsible  lives  when  they 
have  not  been  competent  for  the  personal  choice 
to  receive  Christ's  redemption.  God  can  make  no 
soul  Christian  against  its  will.  The  door  of  the 
life  must  be  opened  from  within  to  the  Spirit. 
First  or  last  the  soul  itself  must  make  the  choice 
to  open  the  door.     First  or  last  the  soul  itself  is 


PERSONAL    RESPONSIBILITY  85 

responsible  for  making  the  choice.  Nowhere  else 
in  the  realm  of  human  freedom  is  the  principle 
that  every  man  shall  give  an  account  concerning 
himself  unto  God  so  irrepealable  as  in  this  realm 
of  the  personal  choice  of  Christ's  salvation. 

And  to-day,  every  day,  every  hour,  into  the 
ears  and  against  the  doors  of  the  hearts,  not  of 
one  sufferer  alone,  but  of  the  whole  vast  mass  of 
religiously  competent  but  irresolute  folk,  Jesus 
the  world's  Healer  and  Saviour  is  ringing  his 
gracious  challenge,  ''  Wouldest  thou  be  made 
whole  ?  "  Wouldest  thou  begin  to  live  a  Chris- 
tian life?  Wouldest  thou?  Thou — separate, 
singular.  Thou — apart,  alone.  Wouldest  thou 
be  made  whole? 

We  know  the  paths  wherein  our  feet  should  press, 
Across  our  hearts  are  written  thy  decrees: 
Yet  now,  O  Lord,  be  merciful  to  bless 
With  more  than  these. 

Grant  us  the  will  to  fashion  as  we  feel, 
Grant  us  the  strength  to  labor  as  we  know, 
Grant  us  the  purpose,  ribbed  and  edged  with  steel, 
To  strike  the  blow. 

Knowledge  we  ask  not,  knowledge  thou  hast  lent; 
But,  Lord,  the  will,  there  lies  our  bitter  need; 
Grant  us  to  build  above  the  deep  intent. 
The  deed — the  deed  ! 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  CHILD 

E.  B.  POLLARD,  PH.  D. 

Professor  of  Homlletlcs,  Crozer  Theological  Seminary 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  CHILD 


The  best  babe  that  ever  came  to  earth  received 
scant  welcome,  for  there  was  no  room  for  him  in 
the  inn.  The  Christian  church,  like  the  simple 
folk  of  Bethlehem,  has  never  quite  found  for  the 
child  his  proper  place  in  the  household  of  faith. 
Neglect  and  indifference  on  the  one  hand,  and 
superstitious  practices  on  the  other  have  con- 
spired to  rob  the  child  of  his  true  religious  birth- 
right. With  all  our  educational  progress  and 
moral  advance,  the  status  of  the  child  in  the 
church  cannot  even  yet  be  said  to  be  satisfactory. 
Since  earliest  Christianity  was  necessarily  an 
evangelistic  and  missionary  propaganda,  it  con- 
cerned itself  chiefly  with  the  conversion  of  adults. 
This  doubtless  accounts  in  a  measure  for  the 
paucity  of  reference  to  the  child  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament writings.  Besides,  Christianity,  in  dis- 
tinction from  Judaism,  rejected  the  hereditary 
principle  in  religion.  When  Jews  came  out  in 
large  numbers  demanding,  as  a  matter  of  birth- 
right, baptism  at  the  hands  of  the  Forerunner 
who  was  heralding  the  new  era  of  the  Christ, 
John  replied :  "  Say  not.  We  are  children  of 
Abraham.  .  .  Repent,"  and  "bring  forth  fruits 

89 


90        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

meet  for  repentance."  Repentance  and  personal 
obedience,  rather  than  heredity  and  ''  Abra- 
hamic  covenant,"  were  to  be  the  determining  re- 
quisites for  entrance  into  the  kingdom  of  the  new 
Messiah.  Men  could  no  longer  claim  special 
spiritual  privilege  because  of  family  connections. 
Indeed,  the  family  was  no  longer  to  be  regarded 
as  the  religious  unit,  but  the  individual.  It  was 
for  this  reason  the  Master  declared  that  families 
would  often  be  religiously  divided — father 
against  son,  mother  against  daughter,  mother-in- 
law  against  daughter-in-law.  The  individual  is 
the  unit  of  Christian  faith. 

On  the  other  hand,  Jesus  took  deep  interest  in 
childhood,  encouraged  mothers  to  bring  their 
children  to  him  for  his  blessing,  and  rebuked 
those  who  inferred  that  there  was  no  place  for 
them  in  the  new  order.  The  Lord,  doubtless 
more  than  once,  set  a  little  child  in  the  midst  of 
the  disciples  and  taught  lessons  in  humility,  in 
docile  trust  and  forgiveness,  for  "  of  such  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."  And  the  greatest  of  the 
apostles  enjoined  upon  Christian  parents  that 
they  see  they  bring  up  their  children  **  in  the  nur- 
ture and  admonition  of  the  Lord." 

It  came  to  pass,  however,  that  an  Oriental 
paganism  came  stealing  into  the  Christian  mind, 
through  a  current  Greek  philosophy,  and  that 
too  very  soon  after  the  days  of  the  apostles.  This 
philosophy  taught  that  the  physical  is  always,  and 


THE    CHURCH    AND    THE    CHILD  9I 

everywhere,  evil;  that  celibacy  therefore  is  the 
highest  virtue,  and  that  children  are  conceived  in 
sin.  Augustine  later  formulated  and  emphasized 
the  doctrine  of  inherited  sin.  The  child  is  not 
only  launched  into  the  world  in  sin,  is  permeated 
by  sin,  but  in  fact  belongs  to  the  devil  from  the 
start.  But  no  Christian  parent  could  regard  this 
as  final  or  satisfactory.  So  infant  baptism 
seemed  to  a  superstitious  age  to  be  the  way  out ; 
and  this  practice  was  invented  and  used  to  con- 
ceal, as  was  supposed,  the  deadly  fact  of  original 
sin.  In  this  way  the  short  cut  of  baptismal  re- 
generation of  the  babe  received  the  emphasis 
rather  than  the  slow  and  patient  method  of  its 
bringing  up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the 
Lord. 

It  is  a  strange  commentary  upon  heathen  litera- 
ture and  art,  as  well  as  upon  the  Christianity  of 
much  of  the  writings  of  the  early  Fathers,  that 
so  little  attention  is  given  to  the  child.  In  a  sense 
he  may  be  said  to  be  a  modern  discovery.  Such 
writers  as  Comenius,  Pestalozzi,  Froebel,  and 
others  have  put  the  world  in  much  debt  to  them 
for  their  rediscovery  of  child  life,  and  the  recog- 
nition of  the  important  place  the  child  must  hold 
in  all  sane  and  sure  progress.  To-day  the 
sciences — psychology,  biology,  sociologfy — kneel 
at  the  cradle  of  the  child,  and  are  rendering  val- 
iant help  to  the  church  in  understanding  its  duty 
and  directing  its  energies  toward  saving  life  and 


92       THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

civilization  at  their  source.  The  study  of  the 
genetic  psychology  and  the  psychology  of  re- 
ligious phenomena  has  been  peculiarly  helpful 
for  the  better  understanding  of  the  child  and  his 
religion. 

We  know  perfectly  well  that  the  babe  comes 
into  the  world  with  certain  native  capacities, 
which  are  early  and  progressively  rivaled  and 
developed  by  the  impact  of  its  environment  upon 
it;  and  that  the  child's  native  interests  are  the 
surest  index  to  its  needs  at  each  stage  of  its  prog- 
ress. Among  its  inborn  capacities  and  native  in- 
terests is  its  capacity  for  religion.  In  its  sense 
of  wonder,  as  it  opens  its  free  soul  to  the  miracles 
of  nature  about  it ;  the  sense  of  mystery  and  sur- 
prise, leading  to  awe  and  childlike  reverence,  to 
admiration  and  worship — just  here  we  discover 
incipient  religious  feeling,  naturally  unfolding 
under  right  stimulus  and  helpful  guidance.  It  is 
for  this  reason  that  Wordsworth  can  say : 

Heaven  lies  about  us  in  our  infancy. 

It  is  easy  for  a  little  child  to  be  religious,  for  he 
can  see  God  everywhere.  Miracles  give  him  no 
difficulty,  for  he  finds  them  at  every  turn.  The 
God  that  is  everywhere  is  just  the  God  he  knows. 
His  open-eyed  imagination,  so  akin  to  faith,  peo- 
ples the  universe  with  personality  like  his  own. 
No  child  is  a  materialist,  or  an  atheist,  or  an 
agnostic.    He  sees  everywhere  Spirit  and  Life. 


EZEKIEL  OILMAN  ROBINSON 

Stated  Supply,  1890 


THE    CHURCH    AND   THE    CHILD  93 

The  child  too  is  a  hero-worshiper,  and  through 
mother,  father,  big  brother,  or  admired  friend, 
through  Bible  hero  and  ancient  worthy  may 
easily  be  led  to  love  and  follow  the  great  Leader 
and  Hero  of  all  the  ages.  The  child's  native  trust, 
his  teachable  spirit,  his  capacity  for  entering  into 
any  experience  with  his  entire  being — all  this 
discloses  his  capacity  for  entering  the  kingdom  of 
heaven. 

Study  of  child  life  discloses  the  fact  of  perio- 
dicity. Growth  involves  new  intents  and  new  ca- 
pacities. It  is  the  parent's  and  the  teacher's  busi- 
ness to  discern  the  stages  of  unfoldment  and 
minister  to  the  new  hungers  as  they  come — not 
to  anticipate,  not  to  delay;  but  be  ready  at  each 
step  to  supply  the  rising  need  of  the  unfolding 
life.  One  does  not  hurry  the  coming  of  the  frog 
by  cutting  off  the  tadpole's  tail.  The  tail  will  go 
in  time,  but  it  is  necessary  to  the  life  of  the  tad- 
pole and  to  the  advent  of  the  freer  life  of  the 
frog.  Some  have  tried  to  turn  children  into  lit- 
tle men,  only  to  spoil  them  both.  We  are  not  to 
expect  of  children  the  religious  experiences  of 
grown-up  people.  It  is  our  splendid  privilege  so 
to  meet  the  needs  of  the  religious  life  of  the 
child  at  each  stage,  that  he  may  live  normally 
and  fully  the  life  of  that  stage,  and  so  may  pass 
naturally  and  strongly  into  the  next,  and  the 
next,  without  forcing  or  dwarfing,  toward  com- 
plete manhood  and  womanhood  in  Christ  Jesus. 


94        THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

But  is  there  a  place  for  conversion  in  such  a 
scheme  of  education?  There  surely  is;  but  it 
will  take  on  a  somewhat  different  form  from  that 
of  one  who  has  advanced  far  along  the  road  of 
sin.  There  will  be  a  sense  of  sin,  and  a  turning 
from  sin  to  God,  but  no  stronghold  of  habit  to 
be  broken  in  struggle  and  soul-scorching  tears. 
There  has  been  an  unfolding  of  the  life  Godward ; 
and  so  when  the  age  of  adolescence  comes,  when 
the  child  is  to  make  his  life  choices,  he  chooses 
Christ  as  the  controlling  principle  and  purpose 
of  his  life.  He  enters  life  therefore,  not  self- 
centered,  but  Christ-centered.  Conversion  be- 
comes, not  so  much  a  harsh  reversal  as  a  de- 
liberate consecration.  This  is  what  may  be  called 
a  normal  conversion  for  a  child  brought  up  in  a 
Christian  home.  History,  psychology.  Scripture, 
and  common  experience  lead  us  to  believe  that 
early  adolescence  is  preeminently  the  time  for 
conversion.  Here  is  the  break-up  of  the  entire 
being,  as  it  were,  preparatory  to  a  reshaping,  in 
order  that  youth  may  face  the  larger  problems  of 
coming  manhood  and  womanhood.  Here  is  the 
rebirth  of  the  physical,  the  mental — and  here  may 
come  the  rebirth  of  the  spiritual  being.  No  child 
should  be  allowed,  if  it  be  possible  to  prevent,  to 
get  by  his  fifteenth  year  without  taking  Christ  as 
his  Saviour,  and  dedicating  the  life  to  his  service. 
It  is  childhood  when  one  is  most  easily  reached 
with  the  gospel,  and  one  converted  in  childhood 


THE    CHURCH    AND    THE    CHILD  95 

lives  longest  and  strongest  for  God.  Once  men 
asked,  "  Can  children  be  converted  ?  "  They  are 
now  more  inclined  to  ask,  "  Can  any  others  but 
children  be  converted  ?  "  Professor  Starbuck  has 
graphically  shown  how  rapidly  the  curve  of  con- 
version falls  when  the  age  of  adolescence  is  past. 
The  child's  heart  is  a  stronghold,  and  he  is  victor 
who  gets  in  first. 

Furthermore,  the  church  needs  the  testimony 
of  childhood,  which  has  so  winsome  and  convinc- 
ing an  interpretation  of  the  Christ.  Its  simple 
faith  and  open  heart,  its  sense  of  dependence,  its 
forgiving  love  bear  witness  to  the  pure  gospel  of 
Him  who  said,  '*  If  these  should  hold  their  peace, 
the  very  stones  would  cry  out."  A  little  child 
has  often  led  old  age  in  spiritual  discernment ;  and 
out  of  the  mouth  of  babes,  more  than  once,  has 
strength  been  ordained. 

It  has  become  a  commonplace  to  say  that  the 
child  is  the  hope  of  the  church.  Infants  are  born 
into  the  world  faster  than  adults  are  converted 
to  God.  At  this  rate,  how  rapidly  will  the  king- 
dom come?  The  child  is  strategic  in  the  con- 
quest of  the  world  for  Christ,  both  at  home  and 
abroad.  As  some  one  has  wittily  declared :  "  It 
is  not  the  automobile  church,  but  the  baby-car- 
riage church  that  holds  the  key  of  the  future." 
In  one  of  our  handsomest  modern  places  of  wor- 
ship, over  every  arch  there  is  cut  in  the  keystone 
the  beautiful  face  of  a  little  child,  above  whose 


90       THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

forehead  there  shines  out  a  carved  star.  Surely 
the  star  of  hope  for  the  church  shines  in  the 
face  of  the  little  child.  Horace  Bushnell  was 
quite  correct  when  he  said,  "  The  world  is  as 
truly  to  be  saved  through  the  child  in  the  cradle 
as  by  the  babe  in  the  manger."  Ary  Sheffer,  the 
artist,  loved  Dickens,  because  Dickens  loved  chil- 
dren, and  so  desired  to  paint  the  great  teller  of 
stories.  This  was  his  conception:  Charles  Dick- 
ens standing  upon  a  bright  cloud,  holding  little 
Nell  by  the  hand  and  pointing  heavenward.  The 
church  must  lovingly  grasp  the  hand  of  the  child 
and  lead  it  heavenward ;  that  at  last  she  may  be 
able  to  say,  "Lord,  here  am  I  and  the  children 
thou  hast  given  me." 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  ONLY 
WORLD  RELIGION 

MILTON  G.  EVANS,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 
President,  Crozer  Theological  Seminary 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  ONLY 
WORLD  RELIGION 


The  subject  of  this  address  is  a  profession  of 
faith,  not  a  fact  of  history ;  a  philosophic  theory, 
not  a  demonstrated  truth.  Christianity  is  not 
now  the  only  world  religion.  It  is  not  the  domi- 
nant religion  even  in  India,  a  relatively  small 
part  of  the  world.  For  purposes  of  illustration, 
exact  figures  of  the  census  table  are  not  necessary. 

The  total  population  of  India  is  about  295,- 
000,000.  Of  this  number  about  207,000,000  are 
Hindus,  62,500,000  are  Mohammedans,  9,500,- 
000  Buddhists,  8,500,000  animists,  3,000,000 
Christians,  2,000,000  Sikh,  1,200,000  Jains. 
That  is,  not  quite  one  per  cent  of  the  total  popu- 
lation of  India  is  nominally  Christian.  But  it  is 
the  task  of  Christianity  to  make  every  inhabitant 
of  India  Christian,  from  the  animistic  worshiper 
to  the  adherent  of  the  Brahmo-Somaj  or  the 
Arya  Samaj,  from  the  degraded  jungle- folk  to 
the  cultured  citizens  of  Delhi  and  Bombay. 

Christianity  is  not  now  the  nominal  religion 
of  China,  with  its  over  four  hundred  million 
population,  whose  faith  is  a  blend  of  Buddhism, 

99 


lOO     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

Taoism,  and  Confucianism,  on  a  substratum  of 
animism.  There  is  also  a  Mohammedan  popu- 
lation, estimated  to  number  at  least  seven  million. 

Christianity  is  not  yet  a  fact  in  Central  Africa, 
in  Central  South  America,  in  Central  Australia, 
in  the  extreme  northern  regions  of  North  Amer- 
ica, in  northwestern  Asia,  in  western  China,  in 
islands  of  the  seas,  where  unnumbered  millions 
of  animistic  worshipers  live  a  life  of  helpless  be- 
wilderment, waging  a  life-and-death  warfare 
with  demon-spirits  that  people  air  and  land  and 
water.  These  pitiable  people  have  no  answer  to 
our  simple  questions  about  God  and  duty  and 
destiny,  except  the  pathetic  confession,  ''  We  do 
not  know." 

The  theoretical  character  of  my  theme  may  be 
illustrated  in  another  way.  Mohammedanism 
claims  to  be  a  world  religion.  It  makes  the  claim 
in  the  face  of  the  Christian  claim.  They  are 
both  equally  insistent  on  the  validity  of  their 
claims.  The  Mohammedan  evangelist  can  give 
a  good  account  of  himself,  in  controversy,  if  ap- 
peal be  made  to  numbers.  He  can  say,  for  exam- 
ple, to  his  Christian  disputant :  ''  We  have  in 
European  Turkey  2,500,000  Mohammedans,  in 
the  Balkan  Peninsula  1,360,000,  in  Asiatic 
Turkey  12,000,000,  in  Egypt  9,000,000  (some 
statisticians  make  it  14,000,000),  in  Arabia  4,- 
500,000;  9,000,000  in  Persia,  4,000,000  in  Af- 
ghanistan, 407,000  in  Baluchistan,  7,000,000  in 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  ONLY  WORLD  RELIGION      lOI 

Turkestan,  14,000,000  in  Siberia,  7,000,000  in 
China  (some  say  20,000,000)  ;  in  Africa  skirting 
the  Mediterranean  from  the  Suez  Canal  to  the 
Atlantic  Ocean,  22,000,000,  in  Soudan  and  Sa- 
hara 30,000,000,  in  Uganda  and  Congo  State, 
Central  Africa,  East  Africa,  the  adjacent  islands 
8,000,000;  and  in  the  Malaysian  Islands  38,000,- 
000."  In  short,  3,410,000  Europeans,  69,000,000 
Africans,  and  162,728,000  Asiatics  to-night  con- 
fess one  God,  one  prophet,  one  book,  one  sacred 
city  toward  which  they  pray,  and  cherish  the  hope 
that  some  day  the  crescent  will  supplant  the 
cross  in  every  continent  and  in  every  island.  Evi- 
dently the  assertion  that  Christianity  is  the  only 
world  religion  is  a  theory  yet  to  be  proved  by 
experiment,  a  confession  of  faith  to  be  justified 
by  achievement. 

But  the  actual  fact  has  not  yet  been  fully  de- 
scribed. Nominal  Christianity  numbers  230,- 
000,000  Roman  Catholics;  100,000,000  adherents 
of  the  Eastern  Church,  including  its  fifteen 
branches;  and  140,000,000  Protestants.  Which 
one  of  these  three  dominant  forms  will  the  world 
finally  accept?  Is  each,  as  it  now  exists,  equally 
good  for  the  world?  As  Protestants,  we  claim 
that  the  Protestant  form  is  the  best ;  and  we  vali- 
date our  claim  by  aggressive  missionary  activity 
in  non-Protestant  Christian  countries.  But 
Protestantism  is  now  a  world  religion  only  in 
theory.     Whether  it  is  potentially  a  world-con- 

H 


102     THE   POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

quering  force  must  be  left  to  the  verdict  of 
history. 

But  the  fact  must  be  more  clearly  stated. 
Hitherto,  I  have  been  describing  the  goal  of 
Christianity  extensively,  in  terms  of  geography 
and  of  population.  When  the  goal  is  described 
intensively,  it  becomes  still  more  apparent  how 
sublimely  daring  is  the  assertion  that  Christianity 
is  the  only  world  religion.  Its  goal  is  the  com- 
plete remaking  of  each  human  being,  so  that  he 
may  be  in  character  a  son  of  God,  reproducing  in 
himself  the  actual  religious  experiences  of  Jesus 
Christ,  thinking  about  God  and  man  and  human 
duty  and  human  destiny  as  Christ  thought.  The 
result  designed  for  each  Christian  is  that  he  bring 
^'  every  thought  into  captivity  to  the  obedience  of 
Christ." 

The  goal  is  not  the  ideal  Christian  individual 
only.  It  is  an  ideal  Christian  society — a  city,  a 
heavenly  city,  a  Jerusalem  of  a  new  order  or 
kind.  It  will  be  a  civilization  in  which  persons 
rather  than  property  will  be  valued ;  a  civilization 
in  which  the  adornment  of  the  city  will  be  the 
moral  beauty  of  its  citizens,  and  its  illuminating 
and  elevating  ideals  will  rise  from  the  conscious 
possession  of  the  spirit  of  the  redeeming  Christ. 
"  And  the  city  has  no  need  of  the  sun,  nor  of  the 
moon,  to  shine  upon  it;  for  the  glory  of  God 
lightened  it,  and  its  lamp  is  the  Lamb.  And  the 
nations  will  walk  by  its  light;  and  the  kings  of 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  ONLY  WORLD  RELIGION      IO3 

the  earth  bring  their  glory  into  it  .  .  .  and  there 
shall  not  enter  into  it  anything  unclean,  or  he  that 
works  abomination  and  falsehood;  but  only  they 
who  are  written  in  the  L^amb's  book  of  life." 

Evidently  both  the  ideal  Christian  individual 
and  the  ideal  Christian  social  group  are  yet  ob- 
jects of  hope,  not  accomplished  facts. 

That  is,  Christianity  must  be  interpreted  pros- 
pectively, not  restrospectively,  if  it  is  to  justify 
the  claim  to  be  a  world  religion.  It  must  have 
the  inherent  power  to  win  not  only  uncultured 
people  of  animistic  and  idolatrous  beliefs,  but  also 
men  whose  esthetic  tastes  have  been  developed, 
intellects  quickened,  and  conduct  moralized  by  the 
most  exacting  scientific  inquiry,  by  most  wide- 
reaching  philosophic  speculative  thinking,  by  ex- 
perience in  most  complex  economic  situations, 
and  by  participation  in  shaping  varied  political 
institutions.  Its  abiding  power  must  be  of  such 
nature  as  to  win  and  hold  the  faith  of  generations 
that  shall  inherit  the  fruitage  that  will  inevitably 
ripen  from  the  seeds  sown  by  our  great  public 
institutions  of  learning  and  by  richly  endowed  pri- 
vate institutions  of  scientific  research.  It  must 
govern  a  world  educated  to  the  highest  degree 
possible,  and  therefore  must  keep  pace  with  human 
progress  in  all  its  phases — ^artistic,  scientific,  finan- 
cial, economic,  educational,  philosophic,  sociolog- 
ical, moral.  This  exacting  demand  upon  Chris- 
tianity is  conceived  possible,  else  we  would  not 


104     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

pray,  "  Father,  hallowed  be  thy  name,  thy  king- 
dom come,  thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  in 
heaven." 

At  present,  then,  it  is  but  my  theory  that  Chris- 
tianity is  a  world  religion.  On  what  grounds  do 
I  believe  that  my  theory  will  eventually  prove  to 
be  true? 

First,  the  conviction  that  this  zvorld  is  morally 
ordered  and  progressively  developing. 

This  was  the  belief  of  Jesus.  He  began  his 
public  ministry  with  the  assertion  of  an  ordered 
relation  between  the  present  and  the  past.  "  The 
time  is  fulfilled;  the  kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand." 
He  justified  his  teaching  by  relating  it  to  the  past. 
"  Think  not  that  I  came  to  destroy  the  law  or 
the  prophets ;  I  came  not  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfil. 
For  verily  I  say  unto  you,  Till  heaven  and  earth 
pass  away,  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no  wise 
pass  away  from  the  law,  till  all  things  be  accom- 
plished." 

Into  the  orderly  process  of  a  developing  human 
history  he  himself  came,  and  entered  into  it  as 
leaven  into  meal,  or  seed  into  soil.  His  presence 
in  Palestine,  and  his  power  in  overthrowing  evil, 
were  the  actual  establishment  in  human  society 
of  a  new  power,  a  new  force  injected  into  the  so- 
cial forces  already  at  work.  "  If  I  by  the  Spirit 
of  God  cast  out  demons,  then  has  the  kingdom  of 
God  come  upon  you."     This  new  divine  force 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  ONLY  WORLD  RELIGION      IO5 

came  in  such  unostentatious  and  unexpected 
manner,  that  its  coming  was  not  observed.  It  had 
arrived,  and  they  knew  it  not.  "  The  kingdom 
of  God  comes  not  with  observation ;  neither  shall 
they  say,  Lo,  here !  or  there,  for  lo,  the  kingdom 
of  God  is  in  the  midst  of  you."  To  this  new 
divine  force  in  its  inception,  in  its  processes,  and 
in  its  completion  Jesus  gives  the  name  kingdom  of 
God,  and  his  favorite  analogy  to  depict  its  history 
is  that  of  growth — a  growth  gradual,  slow,  and 
mysterious.  ''The  earth  bears  fruit  of  itself; 
first  the  blade,  then  the  ear,  then  the  full  corn  in 
the  ear."  The  seed  springs  up  and  grows,  the 
farmer  may  not  know  how,  but  he  knows  the 
fact.  It  is  the  mystery  of  life.  But  in  growth 
two  factors  are  involved,  life  and  environment. 
Life  includes  reproduction,  growth,  and  varia- 
bility; environment  influences  the  nature  of  off- 
spring, shapes  growth,  and  defines  the  course  of 
variation.  Conceive  the  history  of  the  kingdom 
biologically  as  Christ  conceived  it,  and  conceive 
Christ's  activity  as  the  good  seed  of  the  kingdom, 
and  all  that  is  needed  is  time  to  produce  the  har- 
vest of  a  hundredfold.  The  orderly  and  gradual 
character  of  history  as  taught  by  Jesus  was 
grasped  by  the  early  Christians,  and  one  of  them 
in  classic  words  defined  the  process  and  goal  of 
Jewish  history :  "  God,  having  of  old  time  spoken 
unto  the  fathers  in  the  prophets  by  divers  por- 
tions and  in  divers  manners,  hath  at  the  end  of 


I06     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

these  days  spoken  unto  us  in  his  Son,  whom  he 
appointed  heir  of  all  things." 

And  the  Son  in  Christian  history  repeats  the 
method  and  the  process  of  his  Father  in  Jewish 
history.  "  I  have  yet  many  things  to  say  unto 
you,  but  ye  cannot  bear  them  now.  Howbeit 
when  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth  is  come,  he  shall 
guide  you  into  all  the  truth.  .  .  He  shall  glorify 
me ;  for  he  shall  take  of  mine  and  declare  it  unto 
you."  The  Christian  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  the  assertion  of  the  immanence  of  Christ  in 
Christian  history,  as  theism  asserts  the  presence 
of  God  in  racial  history,  and  the  immanence  of 
Christ  in  history  is  the  ceaseless  activity  of  Christ 
in  enlightening  the  understanding  and  energizing 
the  will.  ''  My  Father  works  even  until  now,  and 
I  work."  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto 
the  end  of  the  world." 

It  is  this  doctrine  of  the  perpetual  presence  of 
the  Spirit  of  Christ  within  Christendom  that 
makes  it  possible  for  Christianity  to  adapt  itself 
to  any  variability  whatsoever,  whether  occasioned 
by  race-temperament,  physical  environment,  in- 
termingling of  races,  syncretism,  either  through 
social  commingling  or  speculative  synthesis,  or 
contribution  of  religious  geniuses  modifying  ear- 
lier religious  conceptions;  and  at  the  same  time 
to  maintain  its  marvelous  power  to  shape  vary- 
ing environments  toward  distinctively  Christian 
ends. 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  ONLY  WORLD  RELIGION      IO7 

Secondly,  the  Christian  doctrines  of  God,  of 
man,  and  of  salvation  guarantee  the  idtimate  vic- 
tory of  Christianity. 

A.  Doctrine  of  God.  The  God  of  Christianity 
is  the  one  with  whom  Jesus  Christ  had  fellowship, 
namely,  a  Person  of  immeasurable  good  will, 
using  illimitable  power,  by  methods  of  unerring 
intelligence,  for  the  highest  conceivable  welfare 
of  the  race  and  of  the  individual. 

This  brief  statement  gives  the  essentially 
Christian  view,  and  at  the  same  time  allows  room 
for  all  possible  contributions  to  knowledge  that 
may  be  made  by  science  and  philosophy. 

The  conviction  that  God  has  in  view  the  high- 
est conceivable  welfare  of  man  is  made  concrete 
by  the  revelation  of  himself  in  Jesus  Christ.  In 
brief,  in  Jesus  of  Nazareth  God  came  into  human 
history  as  revelation,  as  justification,  as  sanctifi- 
cation,  as  redemption.  It  is  God  in  Christ  that 
reconciles  the  world. 

But  Christ's  presence  in  history  is  the  revela- 
tion of  God's  purpose  for  the  world,  for  it  was 
God  who  sent  him.  The  love  of  Jesus  for  sin- 
ful men  was  as  intense  as  that  of  the  Father,  for 
it  led  him  to  the  cross.  ''  Who  gave  himself  for 
our  sins,  that  he  might  deliver  us  out  of  this 
present  evil  age,  according  to  the  will  of  our  God 
and  Father."  ''  I  have  been  crucified  with  Christ, 
and  it  is  no  longer  I  that  live,  but  Christ  that 
liveth  in  me,  and  that  life  which  I  now  live  in 


I08     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

the  flesh  I  live  in  faith,  the  faith  which  is  in  the 
Son  of  God,  who  loved  me,  and  gave  himself  up 
for  me."  So  that  Jesus  could  say,  "  He  that  has 
seen  me  has  seen  the  Father."  It  is  a  historical 
certainty  and  therefore  a  permanent  conviction 
that  it  is  Christ,  who  is  Christianity  in  its  histori- 
cal origin  and  in  its  continuance,  that  has  brought 
to  the  world  the  certainty  of  God's  saving  power 
and  love. 

B.  Doctrine  of  Man.  Every  religion  attests 
the  unsatisfactoriness  of  experience.  That  is, 
every  religion  arises  out  of  a  more  or  less  pessi- 
mistic view  of  the  world.  But  the  pessimism  of 
Christianity  is  not  founded  on  the  fact  of  physical 
suffering,  but  rather  on  the  fact  of  moral  evil,  or 
that  which  man  is  and  does. 

To  the  Christian,  the  worst  evil  is  his  impo- 
tency  to  do  what  is  right.  He  has  constant  ex- 
perience of  guilt,  when  he  views  his  conduct  and 
his  character  in  the  light  of  his  moral  standard. 
The  power  to  escape  this  moral  helplessness  is  the 
highest  gift  that  can  be  bestowed. 

The  Christian  view  of  evil  lies  in  what  men 
DO,  not  in  what  men  suffer.  The  first  comes 
under  the  category  of  choice  and  action;  the 
latter  under  the  category  of  results  and  conse- 
quences. The  former  cannot  be  explained  away 
without  impugning  the  character  of  God,  or 
denying  the  freedom  of  man ;  the  latter  can  have 
positive  values  attached  to  them,  and  in  assigning 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  ONLY  WORLD  RELIGION      IO9 

such  values  they  are  no  longer  regarded  a  neces- 
sary evil,  but  a  means  to  an  end.  Physical  evil, 
in  such  a  world  as  this,  is  the  divine  energy  ever 
at  work  moralizing  men.  Its  chief  results  have 
been  to  propel,  to  educate,  to  regenerate.  Even 
the  sufferings  of  Christ  had  this  value  for  himself 
and  for  others.  But  this  is  not  all.  The  Chris- 
tian has  "  persecutions  "  as  reward  for  following 
Christ.  In  this  world  he  has  tribulation,  but  he 
has  cheer  in  it  too. 

Jesus  assumed  that  men  were  in  the  grip  of 
moral  helplessness.  He  warranted  the  cold  scien- 
tific insight  of  a  Huxley  and  the  passionate  de- 
spairing cry  of  Paul,  if  facts  are  faced  as  they 
are.  Men  choose  to  do  evil,  and  they  often  feel 
they  cannot  help  their  choices.  So  helpless  do 
they  seem  that  they  are  prone  to  seek  a  cause  for 
it  outside  of  self,  either  in  heredity,  or  environ- 
ment, or  some  supernatural  power.  Man  is  cap- 
tive to  sin;  he  cannot  escape.  He  needs  a  de- 
liverer. In  this  pessimistic  view  of  life,  Christ 
brings  hope.  He  asks  men  not  to  despair.  Evil 
has  an  end. 

The  reason  for  this  optimism  is  the  freedom 
of  man  to  choose  to  break  with  the  past,  and  to 
choose  companionship  with  Jesus.  Jesus,  the 
founder  of  Christianity,  assumed  freedom,  and 
held  man  responsible  for  his  choices,  although  he 
did  not  minimize  the  power  of  heredity  and  en- 
vironment, nor  deny  the  inequality  of  capacities. 


no     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

It  is  possible  for  God  to  save  man  even  in  his 
freedom  to  will  to  sin.  Man  is  neither  a  clock  to 
be  wound  up  every  morning,  a  piece  of  mechan- 
ism; nor  a  demon,  whose  nature  must  be  radi- 
cally changed  by  a  miracle  in  the  moral  world; 
but  he  is  a  man  with  a  man's  powers  and  privi- 
leges, and  his  highest  privilege  and  the  one 
worthy  of  all  his  powers  is  to  determine  his  own 
future.  Christ  invited  man  to  choose  to  co- 
operate with  him  in  overthrowing  evil.  When 
a  few  had  made  the  choice,  and  had  set  to  work 
to  make  the  choice  effective,  Satan's  kingdom  was 
doomed. 

C.  Doctrine  of  Salvation.  Every  religion  has 
some  doctrine  of  the  end  to  be  gained,  and  this 
doctrine  grows  out  of  the  unsatisfactoriness  of 
experience.  It  postulates  a  more  or  less  pessi- 
mistic view  of  the  world.  The  end  sought  is  a 
negation  of  what  constitutes  our  ills.  The  worst 
evil  will  be  variously  conceived ;  notions  of  high- 
est good  will  correspondingly  vary.  For  exam- 
ple, to  primitive  peoples  the  evils  are  physical 
wants;  salvation  is  the  satisfaction  of  their  tem- 
poral needs. 

To  the  Mohammedan  the  highest  good  is  to  be 
happily  circumstanced  physically ;  hence  salvation 
is  to  enjoy  a  physical  paradise  and  escape  physical 
torments. 

To  the  Brahman,  finite  existence  is  the  greatest 
evil;  and  moksha   (salvation)   is  a  condition  of 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  ONLY  WORLD  RELIGION      1 1 1 

existence  above  the  finite  and  limited — a  condi- 
tion of  identification  of  the  atman  of  the  uni- 
verse with  the  atman  of  the  individual — absorp- 
tion of  self  into  the  All. 

To  the  Buddhist,  existence  is  the  worst  evil ; 
and  redemption  is  cessation  of  existence,  a  state 
that  is  neither  conscious  nor  unconscious,  i.  e., 
Nirvana. 

To  the  Jain,  bodily  existence  is  the  evil;  and 
redemption  is  escape  from  the  body  with  its 
weaknesses  and  passions. 

To  the  early  Greeks,  death  was  the  fact  to  be 
escaped;  and  since  deathlessness  was  the  only 
distinguishing  feature  between  gods  and  man. 
salvation  was  the  attainment  of  immortality,  i.  e., 
deification.  In  later  development,  the  basal  idea 
of  godlikeness  was  retained,  and  salvation  (deifi- 
cation) was  the  attainment  of  any  attribute  that 
was  thought  to  characterize  deity,  such  as  knowl- 
edge, power,  righteousness,  etc. 

To  the  Hebrew  all  ills,  including  death,  were 
evidences  of  the  displeasure  of  Jehovah  for  of- 
fenses against  him ;  so  that  to  escape  evils  was  to 
be  restored  to  fellowship  with  him. 

In  the  history  of  religion,  then,  the  idea  of 
salvation  progressively  assumes  a  more  ethical 
character  as  the  individual  progressively  appre- 
ciates his  own  intrinsic  worth  and  moral  helpless- 
ness, and  correspondingly  elevates  his  view  of 
God  and  his  purpose  in  the  world.     So  that  in 


112     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

Christianity,  the  highest  development  of  re- 
ligion thus  far  reached,  salvation  is  deliverance 
from  sin  as  an  ethical  state,  and  from  its  conse- 
quences now  and  hereafter.  The  one  that  de- 
livers is  Jesus  Saviour.  (Matt,  i  :  21.) 

Salvation  conceived  as  end  necessitates  the 
conception  of  a  method  whereby  that  end  may  be 
secured. 

The  kind  of  attitudes  and  of  practices  will  de- 
pend upon  the  kinds  of  evil  to  be  escaped  and  the 
nature  of  the  salvation  desired.  To  illustrate,  if 
to  the  Brahman,  finite  existence  is  evil  and  salva- 
tion is  escape  from  it,  escape  is  possible  by  re- 
garding the  body  of  the  self  and  the  visible  frame 
of  the  universe  as  illusions,  and  the  way  to  es- 
cape is  to  attain  the  knowledge  of  the  identity  of 
"  self-soul  "  with  ''  world-soul." 

If  to  the  Jain,  salvation  is  release  from  the 
body,  this  can  be  attained  by  ascetic  practices  and 
by  contemplation. 

If  to  the  Buddhist,  salvation  is  Nirvana,  and 
existence  is  evil,  the  method  is  to  make  existence 
impossible  by  making  its  necessity  impossible, 
and  this  may  be  done  by  following  the  "eight- 
fold path  "  and  by  breaking  the  "  ten  fetters." 

If  to  the  Neo-Platonic  Greek,  salvation  is  im- 
mediate knowledge  of  God,  this  is  attained  by 
mystic  contemplation. 

If  to  the  Mohammedan,  paradise  is  reward  for 
believing  the  prophet,  the  way  to  paradise  is  to 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  ONLY  WORLD  RELIGION      I  i;^ 

accept  the  Koran  as  the  word  of  God,  and  to  do 
exactly  as  it  demands. 

If  to  the  Jew,  salvation  is  reconciliation  with 
an  offended  God,  the  way  to  secure  reconciliation 
is  to  appease  him  either  by  sacrifices,  or  by  aban- 
doning evil  conduct,  or  both. 

If  to  the  Christian,  salvation  is  peace  of  con- 
science and  the  power  to  live  a  moral  life  ac- 
ceptable to  God,  the  way  is  to  accept  the  proffered 
divine  forgiveness  and  help  as  given  in  and 
through  Jesus  Christ. 

That  is,  the  distinctive  character  of  Christianity 
is  its  object  of  faith — Jesus  Christ.  Through 
faith  in  himself  he  provides  for  the  conquest  of 
sin  in  every  one.  The  forgiven  penitent  receives 
moral  power  over  sin  because  of  what  Jesus  is 
to  him  in  his  own  personal  history.  It  is  the  love 
of  the  Son  of  God  who  gave  himself  to  death  for 
sinners  that  draws  them  into  fellowship  with  him. 

It  was  belief  in  the  fact  of  God's  love,  as  shown 
in  Christ,  that  impelled  Paul  to  live  the  life  that 
he  knew  God  required.  It  was  the  grace  of  God 
that  called  forth  the  apostle's  deathless  energy. 
The  revelation  of  God's  love  in  Christ  both  recon- 
ciles and  renews  the  believer  who  surrenders  him- 
self to  it. 

For  God  cannot  be  conceived  as  forgiving  one 
that  does  not  wish  forgiveness,  and  a  sinner  con- 
scious of  sin,  and  fearful  of  its  penalties,  and  de- 
sirous of  moral  renewal,  is  grateful  to  God  who- 


114     THE   POSITIVE   NOTE   IN   CHRISTIANITY 

forgives,  and  expresses  his  gratitude  in  changed 
attitude  toward  him.  If  the  liberated  sinner  has 
the  sensitive  susceptibilities  and  deep  emotions 
of  Paul,  he  at  once  feels  himself  a  slave  to  the  One 
that  freed  him.  No  language  could  be  strong 
enough  to  depict  his  intimate  union  with  the 
Person  that  gave  himself  for  him.  It  is  not 
strange,  then,  that  we  find  Paul  using  the  figures 
"  buried  with  Christ,"  "  raised  with  Christ," 
''  crucified  with  Christ,"  to  describe  his  relation 
to  his  Saviour.  Such  expressions  are  the  result 
of  "  that  immediate  or  unreasoned  mystic  faith, 
which  feels  that  in  devotion  to  the  crucified  '  the 
old  has  passed  away,  and  all  has  become  new.'  " 

Because  he  was  conscious  of  "  the  debt  im- 
mense of  endless  gratitude  "  he  wrote,  "  both  to 
Greeks  and  barbarians,  both  to  the  wise  and  fool- 
ish. I  am  debtor."  Gratitude  is  rendered  to  the 
one  that  confers  benefits,  and  presupposes  assured 
conviction  that  he  is  worthy  to  receive  it.  It  also 
calls  moral  states  and  activities  into  being. 

Again,  hope  is  one  of  the  two  most  valued  pos- 
sessions of  the  human  race.  "  Without  God  and 
without  hope  "  is  Paul's  terse  description  of  the 
deplorable  condition  of  the  Gentile  world.  The 
apostle's  judgment  of  the  value  of  hope  is  en- 
dorsed by  the  common  experience  of  men.  "  All 
hope  abandon,  ye  who  enter  here,"  is  felt  to  be  a 
fit  inscription  over  the  entrance  to  Inferno,  and 
"  hope  never  comes,  that  comes  to  all,"  a  true 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  ONLY  WORLD  RELIGION      1 15 

characterization  of  the  lost.  If  a  modern  poet 
could  write, 

Who  bids  me  hope,  and  in  that  charming  word 
Has  peace  and  transport  to  my  soul  restored, 

much  more  could  Paul  exult  in  the  hope  begotten 
in  him  by  Jesus  Christ.  He  was  not  depressed  by 
"  the  sickening  pang  of  hope  deferred,"  for  every 
successive  obstacle  overcome  and  suffering  en- 
dured added  strength  to  expectation  and  intensi- 
fied the  certainty  of  participation  in  the  glory  of 
heaven.  He  had  found  that  hope  in  Christ  was 
good  to  have,  because  it  gave  worth  and  joy  to 
life ;  it  banished  sorrow  and  despair  by  changing 
death  into  sleep;  it  gave  him  endurance  and  con- 
stancy; it  originated  invigorating  joy,  that  made 
him  strong  to  toil  and  agonize  in  Christian  ser- 
vice. Unless  the  believer  is  helmeted  with  the 
hope  of  salvation,  he  is  not  sufficiently  panoplied 
against  the  moral  evil  of  the  world. 

Hope,  then,  has  a  moral  value  for  believers,  and 
it  has  such  value  because  it  is  centered  in  Jesus 
Christ. 

But  it  must  be  noted  that  Paul  traces  his  Chris- 
tian hope  back  to  the  historical  fact  of  the  death  of 
Christ.  It  is  the  knowledge  of  what  God  has  done 
for  sinners  that  gives  convincing  proof  of  his  love 
and  calls  into  being  a  hope  that  will  not  be  put  to 
shame.  He  that  wrote,  "  I  am  persuaded,  that 
neither  death  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principali- 


Il6     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

ties,  nor  things  present  nor  things  to  come,  nor 
powers,  nor  height  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  cre- 
ated thing  will  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love 
of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord,"  could 
not  have  lived  a  morally  indifferent  life;  nor 
could  he  have  written  thus,  unless  he  had  been 
able  to  write :  "  He  who  spared  not  his  own  Son, 
but  delivered  him  up  for  us  all,  how  will  he  not 
also  with  him  freely  give  us  all  things?  Who 
will  lay  anything  to  the  charge  of  God's  elect? 
God  is  he  that  justifies.  Who  is  he  that  con- 
demns ?  Christ  is  he  that  died ;  yea,  rather,  was 
raised,  who  is  also  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  who 
also  intercedes  for  us." 

Again,  certainty  of  the  great  boon  Christ  has 
conferred  enthrones  him  as  Lord  of  the  believer's 
conscience.  He  is  recognized  as  having  right  to 
regulate  Christian  behavior,  and  his  commands 
are  taken  as  standard  of  conduct.  Endeavor  to 
obey  them  necessarily  betters  the  moral  life. 
Jesus  has  given  a  new  commandment,  which 
must  regulate  the  conduct  of  Christians  in  their 
treatment  of  erring  brethren. 

Again,  Jesus  is  the  ethical  ideal.  In  the  matter 
of  saving  men  Paul  took  Jesus  as  his  exemplar, 
and  urged  his  Corinthian  converts  to  do  likewise ; 
he  had  furnished  an  example  for  his  Thessalo- 
nian  converts,  because  he  himself  had  imitated 
Christ  in  his  joyful  endurance  of  suffering;  he 
tried  to  soften  the  hearts  of  those   that  judge 


T.  EDWIN  BROWN 

Pastor,  1890-1895 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  ONLY  WORLD  RELIGION      1 1 7 

harshly  by  reminding  them  of  the  meekness  and 
gentleness  of  Christ;  the  Ephesians  were  urged 
to  take  Christ's  love,  shown  in  his  willing  self- 
surrender  to  death,  as  the  measure  of  theirs ;  and 
Christians  were  exhorted  to  possess  that  lowli- 
ness of  mind  and  self-denying  love  that  prompted 
Jesus  Christ  to  become  incarnate  for  their  salva- 
tion. Jesus  as  an  ethical  ideal  is  to  be  imitated 
in  spirit,  rather  than  in  any  isolated  act  or  par- 
ticular moral  quality.  "  And  whatsoever  ye  do, 
in  word  or  in  work,  do  all  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  giving  thanks  to  God  through  him." 

In  the  full  comprehension  of  what  he  is  as  the 
revelation  of  the  glory  of  God,  the  very  image  of 
God,  he  must  be  the  goal  of  moral  endeavor. 
The  standard  for  human  perfection  is  "  the 
measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fulness  of  Christ," 
or  ''  the  fulness  of  God."  For  the  very  reason 
that  Christ  is  the  perfect  type  of  character  imita- 
tion of  him  purifies. 

The  imitation,  however,  is  not  that  of  a  slavish 
copyist,  who  tries  to  reproduce  in  his  own  life 
every  detail  of  his  great  Exemplar,  but  it  is  the 
method  of  contemplation  and  meditation.  A  stu- 
dent who  desires  excellence  in  literary  art  may 
try  to  secure  it  in  either  of  two  ways.  He  may 
patiently  and  laboriously  copy  the  phrases,  sen- 
tences, and  paragraphs  of  his  classical  models, 
expecting  to  acquire  their  beauty  of  diction 
and  elegance  of  style;  or  he  may  read  and 
I 


Il8     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

reread  the  masterpieces  of  literature,  medi- 
tate upon  their  excellences,  reflect  upon  their 
ideas  and  relation  of  ideas  to  the  language,  and 
catch  the  spirit  of  the  writers  rather  than  their 
phrases.  By  the  second  method  the  pupil  ac- 
quires excellence  unconsciously  and  therefore  the 
more  surely.  His  models  master  him,  but  he  is 
not  their  slave;  he  gladly  acknowledges  his  in- 
debtedness, but  rejoices  in  his  freedom.  So  a 
Christian  may  adopt  either  of  these  methods  to 
perfect  his  character,  but  he  soon  finds  that  the 
method  of  slavish  imitation  is  to  revert  to  the 
bondage  of  the  letter,  the  serfdom  of  conscious 
effort;  while  the  method  of  contemplation  and 
imaginary  companionship  is  the  liberty  of  the 
spirit,  the  freedom  of  spontaneity.  "  But  we  all, 
with  unveiled  face  reflecting  as  a  mirror  the  glory 
of  the  Lord,  are  transfigured  into  the  same  image 
from  glory  to  glory,  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord." 
Again,  a  much  more  powerful  formative  in- 
fluence on  character  is  the  conception  of  Christ  as 
divine.  The  ascended  Christ  was  the  object  of 
Paul's  adoration,  and  the  habit  of  adoration  re- 
acts on  life.  Worship  implies  contemplation,  ad- 
miration, and  devotion  to  the  object  worshiped. 
The  apostle  had  accepted  Jesus  as  God's  image, 
and  he  knew  that  in  the  face  of  Christ  he  had 
discovered  the  full  glory  of  God.  Whatever 
moral  value  the  worship  of  God,  whose  character 
is  revealed  in  the  Old  Testament,  had  for  Saul 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  ONLY  WORLD  RELIGION      1 1 9 

the  Pharisee  was  enhanced  in  his  worship  of 
Christ,  for  Christ  had  all  the  religious  value  of 
Jehovah  plus  the  value  of  the  new  revelation  of 
his  love  and  righteousness  in  his  Son. 

Gratitude,  hope,  obedience,  imitation,  and  wor- 
ship as  motive  forces  in  moral  living  are  causally 
connected  with  Jesus  Christ,  as  portrayed  in  the 
New  Testament. 

Accordingly  God  did  all  he  could  possibly  do  to 
overcome  sin  in  the  race  when  he  sent  to  earth 
such  a  one  as  Jesus  Christ,  the  sinless.  Just  what 
Christ  is  makes  it  inevitable  that  Christianity,  not 
Buddhism,  not  Mohammedanism,  should  be  the 
only  world  religion. 

Thirdly,  experiment  is  proving  the  theory  a 
fact  in  history.  Our  missionary  operations  during 
the  century  are  the  churches'  experiment  sta- 
tions, where  doctrines  are  tested.  The  results 
justify  our  profession  of  faith.  Time  prevents 
detailed  citation  of  facts  as  illustrations.  Three 
general  statements  will  suffice. 

A.  Christian  Doctrines  Civilize  the  Uncivil- 
ized. Within  two  generations  whole  islands  of 
savage  peoples  have  been  made  as  clean  and  pure 
in  life  as  model  communities  in  the  Uuited  States. 
In  the  jungles  of  India  and  the  wilds  of  Africa 
communities  have  been  lifted  out  of  their  fear  and 
superstition  and  made  to  feel  themselves  masters 
in  this  world,  and  victors  beyond  the  grave. 
They  are  royal  conquerors  in  Christ. 


120     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

B.  Christian  Doctrines  are  Moralizing  the 
Civilized. 

India,  China,  and  Japan  were  civilized  before 
they  were  touched  by  Christian  missionaries. 
They  had  their  national  heroes  in  war  and  in 
statecraft;  they  had  a  literature  of  power  and 
charm;  they  had  engineering  and  architectural 
and  artistic  skill ;  they  had  a  continuous  national 
development  of  centuries;  they  had  moral  forces 
that  effected  a  compact  civilization.  But  they  all 
lacked  a  moral  dynamic  until  they  learned  about 
Christ  through  our  missionaries.  To  illustrate 
in  detail  is  to  write  the  missionary  biographies 
and  achievements  of  the  last  one  hundred  years. 
Slowly,  but  surely,  Hinduism,  Buddhism,  Con- 
fucianism, and  Mohammedanism  are  being  dis- 
placed by  Christianity.  Indian,  Japanese,  Chi- 
nese, and  Moslem  men  and  women  of  culture  are 
remaking  their  ideals  in  the  image  of  our  Christ. 

C.  Christianity  Alone  has  Self-recuperating 
Powers.  Christianity  alone  has  power  within  it- 
self to  help  itself.  Buddhism  is  being  reformed, 
but  from  without.  Mohammedanism  is  being 
lifted,  but  from  without.  Christianity,  however, 
gets  its  rejuvenating  power  from  within.  It  has 
this  power  because  it  has  the  New  Testament  as 
the  avenue  open  to  all  by  which  every  man  may 
see  Jesus  face  to  face,  and  hear  his  words  as 
though  for  the  first  time.  Luther  from  within 
the  church  renewed  Christendom  by  the  New  Tes- 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  ONLY  WORLD  RELIGION      121 

tament.  Wesley,  from  within  the  Church  of 
England,  by  preaching-  New  Testament  doctrines 
purified  the  church  that  spurned  him  and  made 
Christendom  evangelical. 

The  history  of  revivals  is  the  history  of  a  self- 
recuperative  religion,  because  Christ  is  within  and 
not  without.  He  is  in  Christianity  the  hope  of 
glory.  This  guarantees  its  permanency  and  in- 
creasing power  both  extensively  and  intensively. 

Christ  is  the  permanent  possession  of  our  race. 
He  has  gotten  such  a  grip  on  history  that  man- 
kind will  not  let  him  go.  The  world  clings  to 
him,  even  though  as  yet  it  may  be  but  to  the  hem 
of  his  garments.  But  the  world  will  be  healed  by 
him,  because  of  its  faith  in  him.  Because  of  his 
victories  thus  far,  and  because  of  its  experience 
of  good  in  him,  the  world  of  to-day  is  saying : 

Wait  there,  wait  and  invite  me  while  I  climb, 
For  see,  I  come,  but  slow,  but  slow, 

Yet  even  as  your  chime 

Soft  and  sublime 
Lifts  at  my  feet,  they  move,  they  go 
Up  the  great  stairs  of  time. 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  GREAT 
INTERNATIONALIST 

JAMES  H.  FRANKLIN,  D.  D. 
Foreign  Secretary,  American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  GREAT 
INTERNATIONALIST 


In  this  grave  hour  in  the  history  of  the  world, 
when  the  structure  of  civilization  seems  to  be 
shattered,  there  is  a  natural  reluctance  on  the  part 
of  many  to  listen  to  an  address  on  any  theme  that 
does  not  promise  a  discussion  of  some  issue  in 
connection  with  the  great  war.  Certainly,  there 
is  a  reluctance  on  the  part  of  serious  men  to 
speak  at  such  an  hour  to  an  audience  like  this  on 
any  trivial  subject.  The  establishment  of  peace 
on  a  basis  of  justice  and  righteousness  is  the  para- 
mount issue,  and  we  are  anxious  to  throw  our 
full  strength  into  the  fight  against  autocracy.  It 
may  be  well,  therefore,  to  remind  you  at  the  be- 
ginning that  the  theme  assigned  me  is  not  inap- 
propriate to  the  thought  that  is  engaging  our 
minds.  Indeed,  it  is  especially  appropriate  to  the 
tragic  hour  through  which  we  are  passing  if  we 
are  interested  in  constructive  measures  for  an 
abiding  peace  in  the  world  as  well  as  in  the  imme- 
diate success  of  our  cause. 

One  almost  needs  to  apologize  for  saying  so 
obvious  a  thing  as  that  the  world  is  in  the  throes 

125 


126     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

of  its  greatest  war,  and  that  we  of  America  must 
hold  back  nothing  that  is  required  to  defeat  the 
forces  which  appear  to  us  opposed  to  democracy, 
and  which  unchecked  will,  we  believe,  turn  his- 
tory back  a  thousand  years  and  make  world 
peace  an  impossibility  for  many  generations.  In 
the  light  of  the  ideals  for  which  we  fight,  peace 
and  democracy,  two  propositions  may  be  made 
under  the  theme  assigned  me.  First,  the  foreign 
mission  movement  is  one  of  the  most  important 
factors  in  the  long  struggle  for  ivorld  peace. 
Secondly,  the  American  foreign  mission  move- 
ment has  helped  to  hasten  the  spread  of  democ- 
racy. 

When  Dr.  Hamilton  Wright  Mabie,  for  many 
years  one  of  the  editors  of  "  The  Outlook  "  and 
a  well-known  publicist  in  America,  returned  five 
years  ago  from  a  visit  to  the  Orient,  whither  he 
had  journeyed  as  a  special  messenger  to  Japan  in 
the  interest  of  international  peace,  there  appeared 
in  the  editorial  columns  of  the  journal  with  which 
he  was  connected  an  appreciation  of  the  mission- 
ary movement  that  was  significant.  A  part  of  the 
editorial  was  as  follows : 

So  the  missionary  has  ceased  to  be  primarily  the  man 
of  an  emergency  and  become  the  familiar  friend  who 
gives  himself  to  his  neighbors  in  all  great  or  humble  ways 
of  living;  the  physician  who  not  only  cures  disease,  but 
shows  how  to  avoid  it;  the  teacher  who  opens  paths  of 
knowledge  that  lead  to  higher  usefulness  and  wider  knowl- 


THE    GREAT    INTERNATIONALIST  1 27 

edge  of  life;  the  pastor  to  whom  the  bodies  and  souls  of 
his  people  are  alike  sacred ;  the  statesman  who  quietly  lays 
the  foundations  of  a  nobler  society.  The  missionary 
movement  is  to-day  the  greatest  unifying  power  at  work 
among  men ;  it  is  defining  a  universal  standard  of  morals, 
teaching  and  illustrating  a  practice  of  the  gospel  of  love, 
which  steadily  gains  ground  in  the  face  of  skepticism 
and  cynicism,  and  is  silently  working  a  revolution  in  the 
feelings  and  thoughts  of  men  in  race  relations.  The  mis- 
sionary movement  has  become  the  very  highest  statesman- 
ship ;  it  is  the  one  adequate  expression  of  that  spiritual 
internationalism  which  was  long  the  dream  of  the 
prophets,  but  is  fast  becoming  an  inspiring  fact  in  the  life 
of  the  world. 

Dr.  Wellington  Koo,  minister  from  the  Chi- 
nese Government  to  the  United  States,  made  a 
statement  recently  in  an  address  at  the  University 
of  Chicago,  which  is  an  illustration  of  the  state- 
ment made  by  "  The  Outlook  "  regarding  the 
unifying  power  of  the  missionary  movement. 
Doctor  Koo  said : 

Nothing  which  individual  Americans  have  done  in  China 
has  more  strongly  impressed  the  Chinese  mind  with  the 
sincerity  and  genuineness  and  altruism  of  American 
friendship  for  China  than  this  spirit  of  service  and  self- 
sacrifice  so  beautifully  demonstrated  by  American  mis- 
sionaries. .  .  As  religious  teachers,  they  have  made  the 
Christian  faith  known  to  the  millions  of  China  who  had 
not  heard  its  truths  before,  and  thereby  gave  them  new 
hope  and  a  new  source  of  inspiration.  It  is  impossible  to 
estimate  how  much  happiness  and  comfort  they  have 
brought  to  those  who  found  life  miserable  because  of  its 
lack  of  spiritual  vision. 


128     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

About  a  year  ago  Mr.  Victor  Murdock,  who 
was  for  twelve  years  a  member  of  Congress,  and 
well  known,  made  his  first  visit  to  the  Orient.  In 
a  letter,  written  during  his  stay  in  the  East,  to 
"  The  Wichita  Daily  Eagle,"  of  which  he  is 
editor,  Mr.  Murdock,  who  is  not  known  to  have 
had  any  personal  interest  in  foreign  missions, 
wrote  that  but  for  the  presence  of  the  missiona- 
ries in  the  Far  East  the  Orient  would  be  a  danger 
to  the  Occident.  Although  his  statement  may  to 
some  seem  rather  strong,  it  is  significant  that  an 
editor  without  any  personal  connection  with 
church  life  should  express  himself  so  favorably 
with  reference  to  the  value  of  the  missionary 
movement  in  fostering  i>eace  among  the  nations. 

About  sixty  years  ago,  Guido  Verbeck,  a  native 
of  Holland  who  had  spent  some  time  in  America, 
journeyed  from  this  country  to  Japan  as  a  i3hris- 
tian  missionary.  In  the  school  which  he  estab- 
lished at  Nagasaki  he  gathered  a  group  of  promis- 
ing Japanese  boys,  and  among  them  was  one 
named  Okuma.  This  lad  and  others  he  not  only 
taught  the  ordinary  subjects  in  the  curriculum  of 
a  Western  school,  but  between  classes  he  in- 
structed them  in  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  and  in  the  teachings  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. Marquis  Okuma,  twice  the  prime  minister 
of  Japan,  in  the  last  interview  with  which  he 
honored  me  in  his  own  home,  referred  to  the  gift 
of  a  Bible  made  to  him  in  boyhood  by  his  teacher, 


THE    GREAT    INTERNATIONALIST  I29 

Missionary  Verbeck.  It  was  fortunate  that  soon 
after  the  agitation  was  begun  over  the  legisla- 
tion in  California,  which  was  unfavorable  to  the 
ownership  of  land  in  that  State  by  Japanese, 
Okuma  should  have  been  made  prime  minister  in 
his  land  for  the  second  time.  During  the  agita- 
tion over  the  legislation  in  California,  this  distin- 
guished Japanese  publicist  received  in  his  home, 
in  Tokyo,  Dr.  John  R.  Mott,  Dr.  Hamilton 
Wright  Mabie,  and  Prof.  Francis  G.  Peabody, 
and  was  reported  as  making  this  statement  to  his 
guests : 

Now,  how  can  questions  of  the  character  that  have 
arisen  between  California  and  Japan  be  solved?  Person- 
ally, I  am  profoundly  convinced  that  questions  of  this 
kind  can  never  be  solved  by  law,  nor  by  politics,  nor  by 
diplomacy.  And  as  for  war,  it  is  unthinkable  that  Amer- 
ica and  Japan  will  ever  resort  to  arms  in  an  effort  to 
find  a  solution  for  any  of  the  questions  that  come  up  be- 
tween them.  It  is  only  when  the  American  people  on  the 
one  hand  and  the  Japanese  people  on  the  other  hand  come 
to  believe  what  the  gospel  teaches  in  regard  to  man's  true 
relation  to  his  fellow  men,  that  questions  of  this  character 
will  be  peaceably  and  permanently  solved.  It  is  only  when 
these  two  peoples  believe  what  Christ  taught  in  regard 
to  the  fatherhood  of  God  and  the  brotherhood  of  man 
that  they  will  be  able  to  extend  hands  across  the  Pacific 
and  work  together  for  all  that  is  good  and  great  and 
noble.  The  only  force  that  can  solve  such  questions  is 
Christianity. 

It  would  be  easy  to  bring  numerous  illustra- 
tions of  the  influence  of  the  missionary  in  pro- 


130     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

moting  a  spirit  of  brotherhood.  Many  reports 
have  come  to  us,  even  in  recent  days,  which  would 
make  it  appear  that  "  The  Outlook  "  was  not  far 
wrong  in  its  editorial  deliverances :  "  The  mis- 
sionary movement  is  to-day  the  greatest  unifying 
power  at  work  among  men  .  .  .  and  is  silently 
working  a  revolution  in  the  feelings  and  thoughts 
of  men  in  race  relations.  The  missionary  move- 
ment has  become  the  very  highest  statesmanship." 
The  Christian  missionary  movement  is  one  of 
the  greatest  forces  at  work  in  the  world  be- 
cause it  is  a  spiritual  force.  It  has  been  said  that 
the  greatest  forces  in  the  universe  are  the  spiritual 
forces.  It  is  clear  to  thoughtful  men  that,  how- 
ever necessary  our  own  participation  in  the  great 
war  may  be  (and  we  are  sure  it  is  necessary), 
nevertheless  the  preparation  of  the  world  for  an 
abiding  peace  must  be  a  spiritual  preparation.  It 
is  certain  that  the  spirit  of  peace  must  dominate 
the  hearts  of  men  before  we  shall  ever  see  peace 
established  among  the  nations.  This  is  true  as  to 
brotherhood  among  individuals  in  human  society, 
and  it  is  equally  true  for  nations  as  such.  The 
root  cause  of  all  our  conflicts,  large  or  small,  is  the 
failure  somewhere  to  apply  the  principles  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ.  The  cause  of  this  failure  is 
not  in  any  lack  of  efficacy  in  the  remedy  that  is 
available,  but  is  in  the  selfishness  of  human  na- 
ture which  refuses  to  accept  the  remedy  as  Christ 
gave  it. 


THE    GREAT    INTERNATIONALIST  I3I 

We  shall  continue  to  suffer  from  the  selfish  am- 
bitions of  men  and  races  as  long  as  selfishness 
predominates  and  the  spirit  of  brotherhood  is 
denied.  Now  the  object  of  the  foreign  mission 
movement  is  the  spiritual  renewal  of  men  every- 
where. It  would  follow  the  Master  whose  pur- 
pose in  coming  into  the  world  was  that  men 
might  have  life  and  might  have  it  more  abun- 
dantly. When  mankind  enjoys  the  abounding 
life,  brotherhood  will  reign  the  world  around,  and 
peace  among  nations  can  never  be  established 
until  enmity  gives  way  to  brotherhood.  Doubt- 
less these  will  seem  like  the  words  of  a  dreamer ; 
like  the  theories  of  one  who  is  writing  regarding 
the  merits  of  an  ideal  fire-extinguisher  when  the 
house  in  which  he  lives  is  ablaze.  Let  no  one 
misunderstand.  We  are  fighting  not  only  to  end 
the  present  holocaust,  but  to  make  its  repetition 
impossible.  Its  repetition  will  not  be  impossible 
until  men  have  caught  a  spirit  of  brotherhood, 
and  men  will  not  become  brothers  the  world 
around  without  a  spiritual  renewal.  We  do  well 
to  remember  that  there  is  no  alchemy  divine 
whereby  golden  conduct  can  be  secured  from 
leaden  instincts,  and  that  there  will  be  no  abiding 
peace  until  men  are  unified  in  spirit. 

As  already  stated,  my  second  proposition  is  to 
the  effect  that  the  American  Christian  missionary 
movement  is  a  movement  in  favor  of  democracy. 
At  the  time  of  my  first  visit  to  China,  which  was 


132     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

soon  after  the  revolution  that  began  in  191 1,  and 
which  was  followed  by  the  establishment  of  a 
republic  instead  of  the  absolute  monarchy  which 
had  existed  for  so  long,  a  British  missionary  re- 
marked to  me  that  but  for  the  presence  in  China 
of  so  many  American  mission  schools,  in  which 
Chinese  students  had  learned  much  regarding  a 
republican  form  of  government,  a  limited  mon- 
archy would  have  been  established  after  the  revo- 
lution intead  of  a  republic.  As  I  crossed  Europe 
a  few  weeks  later,  I  picked  from  the  floor  of  a 
railway  carriage  a  soiled  copy  of  *'  The  London 
Daily  Mail,"  of  May  5,  191 3,  containing  an  arti- 
cle by  Lord  William  Gascoyne-Cecil  on  "  The  Op- 
portunity in  China,"  who  was  chiding  his  coun- 
trymen for  their  failure  to  do  more  educational 
work  among  the  Chinese.  A  part  of  his  article 
was  as  follows : 

Now  they  are  breaking  up  the  idol  temples,  the  old 
heathen  festivals  of  the  seasons  are  dying  quickly,  and 
will  be  as  dead  as  our  May-day,  and  China  will  soon  be 
without  a  religion  unless  she  becomes  Christian.  She  is 
becoming  Christian,  but  she  still  needs  our  help.  In  this 
matter  I  have  a  little  quarrel  with  my  countrymen.  You 
may  notice  that  nine-tenths  of  the  men  who  are  leading 
this  revolution  have  had  their  inspiration  from  American 
mission  schools,  with  the  result  that  America  has  a  great 
moral  position  in  China. 

Lord  William  Gascoyne-Cecil  overstated  the  case, 
but  it  cannot  be  denied  that  many  of  the  young 


THE    GREAT    INTERNATIONALIST  I33 

men  in  China  who  helped  to  furnish  ideals  dur- 
ing the  revolution  had  learned  of  democratic 
government  as  they  were  taught  in  the  American 
mission  schools  in  China.  From  the  authorities 
quoted,  it  appears  that  in  China  the  American 
missionary  movement  hastened  the  advent  of  the 
republic,  and  therefore  must  be  considered  as  a 
movement  in  favor  of  democracy.  Missionaries 
who  preach  and  live  a  Christ  who  teaches  us  to 
think  of  men  everywhere  as  our  brothers,  and  to 
lift  our  hearts  to  one  God  as  our  Father,  are 
quietly  promoting  belief  in  the  equality  of  all  men 
before  God,  which  is  fundamental  to  democracy. 
There  is  no  real  democracy  except  as  men  learn 
to  respect  each  other's  rights  and  opinions,  and 
to  believe  in  the  equality  of  all  men  before  God. 

Naturally,  American  missionaries  teach  the 
the  people  to  whom  they  minister  much  regard- 
ing our  struggles  here  for  political  democracy  and 
for  religious  freedom.  The  students  in  their 
schools  learn  something  about  American  history, 
and  eagerly  read  such  books  as  are  within  their 
reach  that  tell  of  the  stirring  days  in  the  life  of 
our  country.  It  is  only  natural  that  young  people 
educated  in  American  mission  schools,  where  the 
curriculum  is  not  determined  by  the  local  govern- 
ment, and  is  often  a  repetition  to  a  considerable 
extent  of  courses  in  American  schools,  should 
learn  to  love  the  ideals  of  democratic  govern- 
ment.    It  should  never  be  forgotten,  however, 

K 


134     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

that  democracy  is  dependent  upon  brotherhood. 
Dr.  Lyman  Abbott  has  said  recently  that  autoc- 
racy is  political  paganism,  while  democracy  is 
political  Christianity.  If  these  things  be  true, 
any  movement  which  is  working  for  the  dissemi- 
nation of  the  spirit  of  Christ  must  be  counted  as 
a  factor  in  the  movement  for  world  peace  and 
democracy. 

In  view  of  the  relation  of  the  Christian  mis- 
sionary movement  to  the  program  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  world-wide  peace  and  democracy, 
it  is  appropriate  that  this  church,  celebrating  now 
the  semicentennial  of  its  organization,  should 
pause  this  evening  to  ask  what  progress  has  been 
made  during  its  lifetime  in  the  furtherance  of 
Christian  work  in  those  lands  to  which  we  are 
sending  missionaries. 

It  has  been  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  years 
since  William  Carey  sailed  from  England  to 
India,  which  may  be  said  to  have  marked  the 
beginning  of  the  modern  missionary  movement 
among  evangelical  churches.  It  is  barely  more 
than  a  hundred  years  since  Adoniram  Jud- 
son,  the  first  missionary  from  America  to  for- 
eign lands,  sailed  out  of  Salem  harbor.  The  mis- 
sionaries who  were  sent  out  in  the  early  decades 
of  this  movement  were  few  in  number,  and  con- 
tributions for  their  support  were  small  in  com- 
parison with  the  offerings  that  are  received  to- 
day for  the  propagation  of  the  gospel.     Indeed, 


THE    GREAT    INTERNATIONALIST  1 35 

many  people  in  the  first  half  of  the  last  century 
stoutly  opposed  foreign  missions  as  opposed  to 
the  plans  of  the  Eternal,  and  during  that  period 
the  total  contributions  from  evangelical  churches 
in  the  United  States  of  America  seldom  went 
beyond  one  million  dollars.  It  is  hard  to  secure  ac- 
curate figures,  but  from  the  best  records  available 
it  apppears  that  fifty  years  ago,  or  about  the  time 
when  your  church  was  organized,  the  total  con- 
tributions from  evangelical  churches  in  the 
United  States  to  foreign  missions  in  a  single 
year  amounted  to  something  over  $1,300,000. 
Last  year  contributions  from  the  same  sources 
amounted  to  nearly  $20,000,000,  and  from  Euro- 
pean Christians  came  an  additional  $10,000,000. 
Foreign  mission  societies  in  the  United  States 
now  have  under  appointment  more  than  10,000 
missionaries  on  their  various  fields.  More  than 
46,000  native  workers  are  employed,  3,752  of 
whom  are  ordained  preachers  of  the  gospel.  In 
the  field  of  the  American  societies  are  more  than 
2,000  central  mission  stations,  with  more  than 
17,000  outstations  or  preaching-places,  nearly 
12,000  organized  churches,  and  1,153,000  com- 
municants. As  many  as  81,642  people  united 
with  the  evangelical  churches  last  year.  The 
mission   schools   reported  a   total   enrolment   of 

635.381. 
Our  own  Society,  including  the  woman's  work, 
of    course,    last    year    expended    $1,462,713.11. 


136     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

Our  work  has  been  greatly  blessed  in  many 
places.  But  a  few  figures  for  the  foreign  mission 
work  in  the  world  at  large  are  of  interest.  One 
hundred  and  twenty-live  years  ago  a  society  was 
organized  to  support  William  Carey.  To-day 
there  are  three  hundred  and  fifty-one  foreign  mis- 
sion agencies,  supporting  a  total  of  more  than 
24,000  missionaries,  who  labor  at  4,094  central 
stations,  on  fields  with  26,210  Christian  churches, 
in  which  there  are  2,408,900  communicants. 
These  native  Christians  contributed  last  year 
$4,575,984.  When  the  earning  capacity  of  these 
natives  is  considered,  the  size  of  their  contribu- 
tions (nearly  two  dollars  per  capita)  is  encourag- 
ing. 

But  during  the  last  fifty  years  there  has  been  a 
growth  which  cannot  be  expressed  in  figures  alone. 
In  the  earlier  years  of  the  foreign  mission  move- 
ment the  ideal  was  almost  exclusively  that  of  a 
direct  evangelism,  the  work  being  done  princi- 
pally by  foreign  missionaries  assisted  by  native 
workers.  To-day  we  see  clearly  that  China  must 
be  evangelized  by  the  Chinese,  Japan  by  the 
Japanese,  India  by  the  Indians,  Africa  by  the 
Africans,  Turkey  by  the  Turks,  the  Philippines 
by  the  Filipinos ;  and  that,  increasingly,  the  work 
of  the  foreign  missionary  is  that  of  cooperation 
with  native  leaders,  upon  whose  shoulders  may 
be  placed  large  responsibility  for  directing  the 
movement  in  their  own  lands.    This  is  an  expla- 


THE    GREAT    INTERNATIONALIST  1 37 

nation  for  the  enlarged  emphasis  that  has  been 
placed  in  recent  times  on  mission  schools.  There 
is  no  departure  by  us  from  the  ideal  of  evangel- 
ism. To  give  to  men  everywhere  that  revelation 
of  God  that  we  have  found  in  Christ  is  our  great 
aim.  There  is  no  change  in  our  purpose,  al- 
though there  has  been  some  modification  in  our 
methods.  We  are  seeing  that  a  Christian  school, 
conducted  by  a  few  missionaries,  may  train  a 
large  body  of  Christian  leaders,  and  thus  in  the 
end  do  more  for  the  evangelization  of  a  land 
than  could  be  accomplished  by  the  missionaries 
without  such  an  agency. 

Fifty  years  ago  most  of  our  people  had  grave 
questions  regarding  forms  of  mission  work  other 
than  direct  evangelism.  The  first  medical  mis- 
sionary, John  Scudder,  went  to  India  in  1819. 
Our  own  Baptist  Board,  however,  with  some 
others,  was  slow  to  believe  that  the  Great  Com- 
mission included  the  healing  of  the  body.  We 
were  disposed  to  forget  that  Jesus  came  both 
doing  and  teaching.  This  evening  there  are  in 
this  audience  medical  missionaries  from  China, 
and  medical  mission  work  is  accepted  as  a  Christ- 
like form  of  service.  But  we  are  seeing  that  it  is 
oftentimes  profitable  for  the  medical  missionaries 
to  unite  in  the  establishment  of  schools  for  the 
training  of  native  doctors.  We  are  placing  more 
emphasis  too  on  homes  for  the  afflicted  than  was 
given  when  your  church  was  organized  fifty  years 


138     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

ago.  To-day,  under  missionary  auspices,  schools 
are  established  for  the  education  of  the  blind, 
homes  for  the  orphans,  asylums  for  the  insane, 
and  camps  of  mercy  for  the  lepers.  Industrial 
schools  have  been  established  in  regions  where 
famines  have  prevailed  partly  because  the  people 
did  not  know  how  to  till  the  soil  properly.  In  a 
word,  to-day  we  believe  it  is  a  part  of  our  privi- 
lege, as  well  as  of  our  duty,  to  share  with  men  the 
world  around  all  blessings  which  have  come  to 
us  through  Christ.  Nor  should  the  production 
of  literature  be  forgotten.  Christian  mission 
presses  in  many  lands  are  producing  millions  of 
papers,  tracts,  and  books,  although  we  have 
hardly  begun  to  support  this  form  of  work. 

During  the  half  century  of  the  existence  of 
your  church  there  has  been  large  growth  in  mis- 
sionary interest,  although  as  yet  we  are  doing 
only  a  small  part  of  what  should  be  done.  Dur- 
ing the  same  period  there  have  been  changes  in 
our  method  of  work  also. 

But  perhaps  the  most  notable  change  in  the 
last  half  century  has  been  in  the  attitude  of  multi- 
tudes of  thoughtful  men  in  the  lands  to  which  we 
send  missionaries.  Less  than  fifty  years  ago 
there  were  public  sign-boards  in  many  places  in 
Japan  strictly  prohibiting  the  Christian  religion 
as  an  evil  teaching.  To-day  Christianity  is  recog- 
nized by  the  government,  and  Christians  have 
full  freedom.    In  Japan  there  are  large,  self-sup- 


THE   GREAT    INTERNATIONALIST  I39 

porting  churches  with  educated  Japanese  pastors, 
who  would  scorn  the  thought  of  receiving  help 
from  abroad.  There  are  large  Christian  schools 
with  Japanese  faculties  and  boards  of  trustees. 
There  are  Japanese  home  and  foreign  mission 
agencies  which  do  aggressive  work.  In  China, 
one  hundred  years  ago,  Robert  Morrison  found  it 
almost  impossible  to  plant  the  seed.  Only  eight- 
een years  ago,  in  many  sections  of  China,  at  the 
time  of  the  Boxer  uprising,  no  man's  life  was  safe 
if  he  was  suspected  of  sympathy  with  the  Chris- 
tian religion.  To-day  multitudes  of  people  flock 
to  hear  the  Christian  message  at  the  announce- 
ment that  Dr.  John  R.  Mott,  or  Mr.  Sherwood 
Eddy  will  deliver  an  address.  Our  Christian 
mission  schools  are  crowded  to  the  doors  and 
turning  away  students.  Some  of  these  institu- 
tions have  received  large  gifts  in  money  from  in- 
fluential Chinese  gentlemen.  In  some  sections  of 
India  the  movement  toward  Christianity  has  been 
so  large  as  to  justify  the  name  mass-movement. 
Thoughtful  men  the  world  around  understand 
that  man  must  worship  and  that  his  life  is  vitally 
affected  by  the  character  of  his  religion. 

While  there  has  been  a  change  during  the  last 
fifty  years  on  the  part  of  the  peoples  to  whom  we 
send  Christian  ambassadors,  it  must  be  admitted 
that  there  has  been  some  change  on  our  part.  In 
recent  decades  Christian  bodies  at  home  have 
learned  much  in  the  art  of  cooperation  with  each 


I40     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

Other  in  the  common  task  of  giving  Christ  to  all 
the  world.  We  have  learned  how  to  cooperate 
without  sacrifice  of  freedom;  to  stand  for  our 
deepest  convictions.  Perhaps  too  there  has  been 
some  change  in  our  attitude  toward  those  who 
do  not  hold  the  Christian  religion.  Our  contact 
with  them  has  given  us  a  fresh  appreciation  of 
the  truth  "  that  Christ  is  the  light  that  lighteth 
every  man."  We  have  found  confirmation  of  the 
apostle's  statement  that  God  hath  not  left  himself 
without  witness  among  any  people.  Certainly 
there  has  been  a  change  in  our  attitude  toward 
the  native  Christian  forces.  We  are  not  to  think 
of  the  foreign  missionaries  as  men  who  are  to  be 
masters  with  a  few  natives  as  assistants.  The 
native  Christian  leaders  of  any  land  must  be 
trusted,  and  we  must  be  prompt  to  recognize 
their  rightful  place. 

We  may  be  encouraged  at  what  has  been  ac- 
complished during  the  last  fifty  years.  We  may 
be  grateful  for  what  our  own  denomination  has 
contributed.  But  we  must  face  the  future.  We 
must  plan  for  larger  things  in  the  days  to  come. 
At  this  particular  moment  we  are  called  to  face 
the  immediate  demands  and  particularly  the 
herculean  task  in  which  we  are  engrossed — our 
fight  against  autocracy. 

In  conclusion,  let  us  ask  again  if  the  foreign 
mission  work  is  not  vitally  related  to  this  task  in 
which  we  are  becoming  more  seriously  engrossed 


B.  L.  WHITMAN 

Stated  Supply,  1896,  1897 


THE    GREAT    INTERNATIONALIST  I4I 

with  every  passing  month.  Was  "  The  Outlook  " 
correct  in  saying  that  "  The  missionary  move- 
ment is  to-day  the  greatest  unifying  power  at 
work  among  men  "  ?  If  so,  it  is  no  time  for  an 
abatement  of  effort,  but  rather  an  hour  for  an  en- 
largement of  interest.  The  world  is  afire.  We 
must  do  our  utmost  in  this  solemn  hour.  At  the 
same  time,  we  must  be  considering  how  a  repeti- 
tion of  this  unspeakable  tragic  experience  can  be 
prevented. 

Just  outside  the  great  city  of  Hangchow, 
China,  which  was  visited  by  the  Venetian  traveler 
Marco  Polo  about  five  hundred  years  ago,  and 
which  was  said  by  him  to  have  been  at  that  time 
the  finest  and  richest  city  in  all  the  world,  is  the 
noted  Lin  Ying  Temple.  Changes  are  occurring 
in  the  city  with  startling  rapidity,  and  Hangchow 
is  taking  on  numerous  modern  features.  The 
temple  too  has  been  completely  rebuilt  in  recent 
years.  The  famous  old  structure,  in  which  so 
many  hundreds  of  thousands,  yes,  millions,  had 
worshiped,  was  destroyed  by  fire  a  few  years  ago, 
to  the  sorrow  of  a  multitude  of  devout  people. 
Immediately  the  governor  of  Chekiang  Province 
began  to  make  plans  to  replace  the  structure. 
He  requested  Capt.  Robert  Dollar,  an  owner  of 
ships  on  the  Pacific  Ocean,  to  secure  sixteen  of 
the  largest  trees  to  be  found  in  America,  which 
could  be  transported  to  China  to  be  used  as  pil- 
lars in  supporting  the  lofty  roof  and  in  furnish- 


142     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

ing  Strength  to  the  new  structure.  Captain  Dol- 
lar secured  the  trunks  of  sixteen  large,  straight 
pine  trees  from  the  hills  of  Oregon,  placed  them 
aboard  ship,  and  a  few  weeks  later  landed  them 
at  Hangchow,  from  which  port  they  were  taken 
with  great  labor  over  the  hills  to  the  site  of  the 
old  temple. 

At  Chinese  Eastertime  I  saw  these  pillars 
in  the  reconstructed  temple,  when  multitudes 
of  Chinese  had  stopped  first  to  worship  at  the 
graves  of  their  ancestors  before  proceeding  to  the 
noted  shrine,  at  which  many  of  the  ancestors 
themselves  had  worshiped.  Men  from  the  far 
interior  as  they  entered  the  temple  doors  gazed 
at  the  graceful  pillars  and  marveled  at  the  size 
of  such  trees  as  had  been  found  in  America. 
One  man  would  try  to  make  his  finger-tips  touch 
those  of  another  on  the  opposite  side  of  a  column 
in  order  to  be  able  to  give  the  people  back  home 
some  adequate  conception  of  the  size  of  the  trees 
that  had  been  brought  from  America,  and  which, 
to  them,  were  the  real  wonder  in  the  recon- 
structed temple.  They  gazed  in  astonishment  at 
the  high  roof,  supported  by  these  massive  pillars, 
covered  with  the  brightest  of  red  Chinese  lac- 
quer, and  decorated  with  inscriptions  in  the  Chi- 
nese language. 

Unless  he  were  told,  no  one  would  suspect  that 
the  pillars  that  constituted  both  the  glory  and  the 
strength  of  the  temple,  now  denuded  of  native 


THE    GREAT    INTERNATIONALIST  1 43 

bark  and  needles,  and  given  finish  and  mottoes 
which  satisfied  Chinese  ideals  of  fitness,  were  the 
trunks  of  pine  trees  grown  on  the  hills  of  Oregon. 
But  there  they  were,  American  pine  trees  furnish- 
ing the  strength  and  glory  of  the  reconstructed 
Chinese  temple.  As  I  mused,  the  fire  burned. 
First  I  said,  "  If  America  were  really  Christian, 
so  that  men  the  world  over  could  see  that  Chris- 
tianity is  the  best  of  all  religions,  they  would 
come  from  every  race  and  every  clime  to  secure 
it  for  the  regeneration  of  their  own  lives  and  the 
reconstruction  of  their  own  nations."  Again  I 
spoke.  This  time  I  said :  "  My  chief  concern  is 
that  the  nations  of  the  Orient,  as  well  as  those 
of  the  Occident,  shall  find  Christ  and  shall  build 
him  into  the  temple  of  their  life  as  its  glory  and 
strength.  Often,  perhaps,  we  may  have  allowed 
him  to  be  hidden  beneath  the  veneer  of  an  eccle- 
siasticism  which  does  not  always  seem  essential 
to  men  of  the  Orient  as  they  interpret  the  Christ. 
My  chief  concern  is  that  they  shall  have  him  as 
the  strength  of  their  lives."  Once  more  I  spoke; 
''  Nor  is  it  essential  that  the  language  in  which 
they  express  their  adoration  and  devotion  to  the 
Lord  of  All  shall  be  that  which  I  use,  but  I  do 
yearn  that  they  shall  have  the  eternal  Christ  as 
the  strength  and  glory  of  the  temple  of  their 
lives." 

Recently  I  have  meditated  again,  and  this  time 
I  have  said :  ''  The  world  is  aflame ;  the  temple  of 


144     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

civilization  is  being  destroyed  in  the  greatest  holo- 
caust of  history.  Is  there  no  hope?  Yes,  there 
is  hope.  Some  day  from  the  ashes  of  the  struc- 
ture now  in  flames  must  rise  a  reconstructed  tem- 
ple, and  into  that  temple  must  go  the  strength  of 
the  eternal  Christ  if  it  is  to  abide."  To  recon- 
struct the  temple  of  humanity  is  now  our  great 
task.  Into  the  structure  must  go  the  love  and 
strength  of  the  living  Christ,  or  there  is  no  hope 
for  us.  All  else  has  failed,  and  we  have  failed 
to  try  him.  We  have  taken  his  name,  but  we 
have  failed  to  do  his  will.  The  aim  of  the  foreign 
mission  movement  is  to  give  men  everywhere  the 
opportunity  to  take  Christ  into  their  lives.  It  is 
vain  for  us  to  attempt  to  reconstruct  the  temple 
now  in  flames,  except  as  we  recognize  our  de- 
pendence upon  the  Eternal  and  build  according  to 
the  teachings  of  the  Master  Builder.  We  shall 
never  have  world-wide  peace  until  the  Prince  of 
Peace  dominates  the  hearts  of  men. 


THE  SPIRITUAL  INTERPRETA- 
TION OF  THE  ORDINANCES 

EDGAR  YOUNG  MULLINS,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 
President,  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary 


Are  ye  ignorant,  that  all  we  who  were  baptized  into 
Christ  Jesus  were  baptized  into  his  death?  We  were  buried 
therefore  with  him  through  the  baptism  into  his  death ;  that 
as  Christ  was  raised  from  the  dead  through  the  glory  of 
the  Father,  so  we  also  might  walk  in  newness  of  Hfe. — 
Rom.  6  :  3,  4. 

For  as  oft  as  ye  eat  this  bread,  and  drink  this  cup,  ye 
proclaim  the  Lord's  death,  till  he  come. — i  Cor.  11  :  26. 


THE  SPIRITUAL  INTERPRETA- 
TION OF  THE  ORDINANCES 


I  WISH  to  unfold  the  thought  of  the  spiritual 
meaning  and  value  of  the  ordinances.  In  order 
to  do  so,  it  is  necessary  that  we  glance  at  the  New 
Testament  teaching  on  the  relation  of  a  sign  to 
the  thing  signified.  We  might  at  the  outset  be- 
come confused  and  mystified  if  we  failed  to  do 
this.  If  we  should  put  the  sign  in  the  place  of 
what  is  signified ;  or  put  what  is  signified  in  place 
of  the  sign ;  or  if  we  should  fail  to  grasp  clearly 
how  the  sign  represents  what  is  signified,  it  would 
be  very  easy  to  go  astray. 

Hence  my  address  might  be  described  as  an 
effort  to  show  the  spiritual  meaning  and  value  of 
a  sign  or  symbol.  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per are  signs  or  symbols  of  spiritual  truths  and 
realities. 

The  word  symbol  is  made  up  of  two  other 
words,  one  of  which  means  "  together,"  and  the 
other  to  "  put  "  or  "  place."  Hence  the  primary 
meaning  of  symbol  is  the  placing  together  of  two 
things,  or  the  use  of  one  thing  as  a  sign  of 
another.     There  are,  for  example,  symbols  used 

147 


148     THE   POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

by  astronomers.  The  symbol  which  represents 
the  sun  is  a  circle  with  a  dot  in  the  center.  The 
symbol  of  the  planet  Venus  is  a  smaller  circle 
with  a  cross  hanging  from  its  lower  edge. 
Sometimes  a  sign  is  used  to  indicate  a  quality.  A 
lion  is  the  symbol  of  courage.  An  olive-branch 
is  the  symbol  of  peace.  Sometimes  on  ancient 
Greek  coins  a  figure  was  stamped  as  a  symbol  of 
authority — a  lyre  or  wine-cup  or  ivy  wreath. 
Here  the  symbol  set  forth  the  authority  of  the 
magistrate  under  whom  the  coin  was  issued. 

Now,  in  Christianity  there  are  two  ceremonies 
or  symbols,  which  correspond  to  the  meaning  I 
have  given.  Baptism  is  one  of  these.  It  is  a  cere- 
mony which  is  put  with  spiritual  truths  and  facts, 
by  divine  authority,  for  certain  ends.  What  are 
those  spiritual  truths  and  realities?  I  can  only 
refer  briefly  to  them.  Baptism  is  a  sign  of  remis- 
sion or  forgiveness.  As  immersion,  it  symbolizes 
complete  remission  and  forgiveness.  It  is  also  a 
symbol  of  the  washing  of  regeneration,  and  as 
immersion  it  is  a  symbol  of  complete  washing,  a 
radical  inward  and  not  a  superficial  outward 
cleansing.  It  is  a  symbol  of  submission  and  con- 
secration, and  as  immersion  it  is  a  symbol  of 
complete  dedication  to  the  authority  and  service 
of  Christ.  It  is  a  symbol  of  death,  burial,  and 
resurrection,  and  as  immersion  it  expresses 
death,  burial,  and  resurrection  in  a  dramatic 
and  symbolic  form.     Thus  it  is  a  symbol  of  our 


THE    ORDINANCES  I49 

own  inward  spiritual  death,  burial,  and  resurrec- 
tion, and  at  the  same  time  it  prefigures  our  own 
bodily  resurrection. 

There  is  no  longer  any  serious  difference 
among  representative  scholars  of  the  world,  of  all 
denominations,  that  baptism  as  taught  and  prac- 
tised in  the  New  Testament  was  the  immersion 
of  the  believer  in  water,  in  obedience  to  the  au- 
thority of  Christ.  Professor  Sanday,  of  Oxford, 
a  member  of  the  Church  of  England,  gives  the 
following  as  the  meaning  of  the  passage  I  have 
given  as  my  text : 

Baptism  has  a  double  function,  (i)  It  brings  the  Chris- 
tian into  personal  contact  with  Christ,  so  close  that  it  may 
be  fitly  described  as  union  with  him.  (2)  It  expresses 
symbolically  a  series  of  acts  corresponding  to  the  re- 
deeming acts  of  Christ — immersion,  which  symbolizes 
death;  submersion,  which  symbolizes  burial  (the  ratifica- 
tion of  death)  ;  emergence,  which  symbolizes  resurrection- 
All  these  the  Christian  has  to  undergo  in  a  moral  and 
spiritual  sense,  and  by  means  of  his  union  with  Christ.. 
As  Christ  by  his  death  on  the  cross  ceased  from  all  con- 
tact with  sin,  so  the  Christian  united  with  Christ  in  his 
baptism  has  done  once  for  all  with  sin,  and  lives  hence- 
forth a  reformed  life  dedicated  to  God.  ("  Commentary 
on  Romans,"  p.  153.) 

This  is  in  harmony  with  the  New  Testament 
teaching  everywhere.  Immersion  and  death  are 
''  put  together  "  in  this  symbol.  Submersion  and 
burial  are  also  put  together,  as  are  emergence  and 
resurrection.  If,  then,  these  things  are  joined 
L 


150     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

together  by  the  authority  of  Christ,  who  shall  as- 
sert an  authority  above  his  to  justify  us  in  putting 
asunder  what  he  has  joined  together? 

I  might  in  a  similar  manner  develop  the  re- 
lation between  sign  and  thing  signified  in  the 
Lord's  Supper.  But  the  general  truth  is  clear 
from  the  preceding.  Now,  in  order  that  we  may 
preserve  the  spiritual  meaning  and  value  of  the 
ordinances,  we  must  fulfil  all  the  following  con- 
ditions : 

I.  First  of  all,  zve  must  keep  the  ordinances  in 
their  proper  places  as  symbols.  It  is  strange  how 
difficult  this  has  been  in  Christian  history.  Men 
have  erred  constantly  in  one  of  three  directions : 
( I )  They  have  said :  "  It  is  a  mere  symbol ;  it 
amounts  to  little  or  nothing."  Then  they  have 
proceeded  to  change  its  form  to  suit  their  own 
comfort  or  convenience;  or  else  they  have  abol- 
ished it  altogether,  as  the  Unitarians  and  Quak- 
ers have  done.  Or  (2),  men  have  erred  in 
another  direction  by  identifying  the  sign  with  the 
thing  signified.  Jesus  said,  as  to  the  bread  and 
wine,  "  This  is  my  blood,"  "  this  is  my  body," 
and  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  has  insisted  on 
taking  the  words  literally.  Some  one  has  said 
that  the  terrible  dogma  of  transubstantiation, 
with  all  its  magical  power  in  the  hands  of  a  priest- 
hood, with  all  its  debasing  influence  upon  New 
Testament  Christianity,  arose  out  of  man's  failure 
to  understand  a  figure  of  speech,  a  metaphor,  so 


THE   ORDINANCES  I5I 

that  Christ's  words,  which  are  easily  understood 
by  an  intelligent  child,  were  perverted  into  words 
of  revolutionary  import.  To  appreciate  a  symbol 
one  must  have  imagination  and  faith.  Children 
have  no  trouble  in  understanding  symbols.  I 
once  heard  of  a  man  who  objected  to  the  poetic 
lines,  "  Sermons  in  stones,  books  in  running 
brooks,  God  in  everything,"  because  it  was  a 
perversion  of  the  facts.  The  poet  should  have 
said  rather,  "  Sermons  in  books,  stones  in  run- 
ning brooks,  God  in  everything."  There  are 
literalists  who  object  to  the  teaching  of  the  little 
stanza  to  baby : 

Where  did  you  come  from,  baby  dear? 
Out  of  the  everywhere  into  the  here. 
Where  did  you  get  your  eyes  so  blue? 
Out  of  the  sky  as  I  came  through. 
Where  did  you  get  your  pearly  ear? 
God  spoke,  and  it  came  out  to  hear. 
Where  did  you  get  that  little  tear? 
I  found  it  waiting  when  I  got  here. 

Now  a  man  without  imagination  or  insight 
might  object  that  every  statement  in  these  lines  is 
false.  You  might  argue  with  such  a  man  a  week, 
and  you  could  not  convince  him.  He  lacks  the 
insight  and  imagination  necessary  to  understand 
figurative  language.  So  also  you  could  never 
impart  spiritual  insight  to  a  literalist  who  insisted 
that  Christ  meant  his  real  body  and  blood  when 
he  said,  "  This  is  my  body,"  "  this  is  my  blood." 


152     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

(3)  A  third  way  in  which  baptism  as  a  symbol 
is  perverted  from  its  true  use  is  to  convert  it  into 
a  saving  ordinance.  Ceremonies  in  religion  are 
like  ladders.  You  can  climb  up  on  them  if  you 
keep  them  in  their  place.  You  can  climb  down 
on  them  if  you  misuse  them  for  wrong  ends. 
Baptism  is  an  act  of  duty.  It  is  a  sign  of  life 
within.  It  is  the  answer  of  a  good  conscience; 
not  the  regenerating  power  that  makes  a  good 
conscience. 

Hence,  I  repeat,  if  we  are  to  preserve  the 
spiritual  meaning  and  value  of  baptism  and  the 
Supper,  we  must  keep  them  in  their  places  as 
symbols. 

2.  I  remark  secondly  that,  in  order  to  preserve 
the  spiritual  meaning  and  value  of  an  ordinance, 
zve  must  maintain  its  relation  to  the  truths  and 
facts  symbolized  in  and  by  it.  We  must  never 
forget  the  value  of  the  outward  as  a  means  of 
helping  men  to  understand  the  inward.  The 
idea  of  God  never  became  tangible  and  workable 
and  real  to  men  generally  until  God  became  visible 
and  audible  and  tangible  in  Jesus  himself.  Until 
Christ  came  men  failed  to  grasp  the  idea  of  God 
clearly.  Since  he  came  all  false  ideas  are  cor- 
rected in  and  through  him. 

For  example,  when  the  Indian  or  other  phi- 
losophy says  God  is  an  impersonal  principle,  and 
man  is  to  be  reabsorbed  at  death  or  snuffed  out 
like  a  candle,  Christ  comes  and  says  God  is  a 


THE    ORDINANCES  1 53 

person  and  our  personality  will  remain  forever. 
When  Mohammedanism  perverts  the  idea  of  God 
and  makes  him  mere  power,  Christ  comes  and 
shows  that  God  is  love.  When  science  exag- 
gerates heredity  and  sin,  and  asserts  that  man  is 
under  the  operation  of  natural  law,  Christ  cor- 
rects it  by  showing  that  where  heredity  and  sin 
abounded,  grace  did  abound  more  exceedingly. 
God  became  visible  and  outward  in  Christ. 

Now,  in  a  corresponding  manner,  the  central 
spiritual  truths  and  facts  of  Christianity  became 
visible  in  the  ordinances.  Christ  planned  it  so. 
If  you  look  at  the  great  group  of  inner  vital 
truths  of  Christianity,  and  then  look  at  the  mean- 
ing of  the  two  ordinances  of  Christianity,  you 
will  at  once  see  that  it  is  like  looking  at  two  cir- 
cles of  exactly  the  same  diameter.  You  can  place 
one  upon  the  other,  and  not  only  their  centers  will 
coincide,  but  their  circumferences  will  also  coin- 
cide. 

Note  then  the  two  parallel  lines  in  Chris- 
tianity— the  inward  and  real,  and  the  outward 
and  symbolic.  There  are  two  kinds  of  cleans- 
ing— inward  cleansing  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  and 
outward  cleansing  in  symbol  through  water  bap- 
tism. There  are  two  kinds  of  entrance  into  the 
kingdom — the  inner  and  spiritual,  when  the  soul 
yields  to  Christ,  and  the  outward  and  symbolic 
in  baptism.  There  are  two  kinds  of  remission  of 
sins,  two  kinds  of  death,  two  kinds  of  burial,  two 


154     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

kinds  of  resurrection — the  inward  and  vital,  and 
the  outward  dramatic  and  symbolic.  There  is  no 
conflict  or  confusion,  nothing  to  lead  any  one 
astray  in  this.  It  is  like  all  other  inward  things 
with  a  corresponding  outward  expression.  There 
is  no  conflict  or  confusion  between  the  invisible 
thought  and  the  visible  deed ;  none  between  the 
inaudible  thought  and  the  audible  word ;  none  be- 
tween the  unheard  melodies  in  the  heart  and  the 
heard  music  on  the  organ  or  other  instrument. 
There  is  no  conflict  between  the  beautiful  sunset 
I  see  and  the  inward  image  of  it  I  carry  in  my 
memory.  There  is  no  conflict  between  that  mar- 
velous and  matchless  experience  I  had  one  night 
in  Major  Penn's  meeting,  when  Christ  drew  near 
and  spoke  to  me  and  entered  the  open  door  of  my 
heart  and  shed  his  radiance  through  my  soul,  and 
when  I  gave  myself  to  him  as  a  penitent  sinner 
and  died  to  him  and  rose  in  new  life  to  him  and 
dedicated  myself  to  him  forever — I  say  there  is 
no  conflict  between  that  inward  drama  of  my  soul 
and  that  other  drama  a  week  later,  when  on  a 
clear  November  afternoon  my  father  led  me  into 
the  baptismal  waters  and  I  reenacted  outwardly 
all  that  inward  transaction.  There  was  no  con- 
flict between  the  song  my  soul  sang  that  night  of 
my  conversion  and  the  other  song  my  lips  sang 
the  day  of  my  baptism : 

How  happy  are  they  who  their  Saviour  obey, 
And  whose  treasure  is  laid  up  above. 


THE    ORDINANCES  I  55 

Now  I  think  I  have  made  clear  what  I  mean. 
Christ  intended  that  our  Christianity  should  have 
the  inward  reality  and  the  outward  expression  in 
the  ordinances ;  two  kinds  of  remission,  two  kinds 
of  cleansing,  two  kinds  of  death,  burial,  and 
resurrection — the  inward,  vital,  and  real,  and  the 
outward,  dramatic,  and  symbolic.  If  we  seek  to 
know  and  do  the  will  of  Christ,  we  will  maintain 
both  the  outward  and  the  inward. 

3.  Again,  if  we  would  preserve  the  spiritual 
meaning  and  value  of  the  ordinances,  zee  must 
conserz'e  the  relation  of  the  form  of  the  symbol 
to  its  meaning.  It  is  perfectly  clear  that  if  a  cer- 
tain meaning  is  bound  up  with  a  certain  form ;  if 
the  form  is  chosen  in  order  to  express  a  certain 
meaning,  the  moment  you  change  the  form  you 
change  the  meaning.  A  symbol  has  no  value  in 
itself.  Its  value  is  in  its  fitness  to  a  certain  mean- 
ing. Its  use  and  value  ceases  when  it  no  longer 
expresses  the  necessary  meaning.  The  American 
flag  has  red,  white,  and  blue  in  the  color  scheme. 
It  has  thirteen  stripes  and  as  many  stars  as  there 
are  States,  on  blue  ground.  Its  value  as  a  na- 
tional symbol  is  the  retention  of  these  elements. 
Suppose  we  should  change  the  color  scheme  to 
red,  white,  and  black,  or  increase  the  number  of 
stripes  and  put  a  single  star  on  the  blue  ground, 
would  that  be  an  American  flag?    Surely  not. 

When  a  marriage  takes  place,  sometimes  a  gold 
ring  is  used.     The  groom  puts  it  on  the  hand  of 


156     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

the  bride  as  a  part  of  the  ceremony.  It  is  a 
symbolic  marriage,  which  is  parallel  with  the 
legally  authorized  ceremony.  The  gold,  we  will 
say,  represents  the  quality  of  love,  and  its  circular 
form  represents  the  endless  duration  of  marriage. 
Now,  if  you  use  a  straight  bar  of  gold  instead  of 
a  ring,  or  if  you  use  an  iron  instead  of  a  gold 
ring,  it  is  evident  that  the  symbolic  aspect  of  the 
marriage  is  in  part  destroyed.  Now  suppose  this 
symbolic  form  of  the  ceremony,  this  use  of  the 
gold  ring,  instead  of  being  voluntary,  were  re- 
quired by  law  in  order  to  make  the  ceremony 
legal.  Surely  every  one  would  seek  to  observe 
the  law.  Any  change  from  a  gold  ring  to  a  gold 
bar  or  iron  ring  would  destroy  the  symbolism  and 
violate  the  law.  I  remind  you  that  baptism  is  not 
optional  with  us.  It  is  commanded  by  Christ. 
To  refuse  to  submit  to  it  violates  his  command ; 
and  since  the  meaning  of  it  is  wrapped  up  with 
the  form,  we  cannot  change  the  form  without 
changing  the  meaning.  Sprinkling  no  more 
makes  real  baptism  than  one  star  on  a  blue 
ground  with  thirteen  stripes  makes  a  flag  which 
we  would  recognize  as  "  Old  Glory.'' 

4.  Finally,  zue  must  preserve  the  relation  of 
baptism  to  the  corporate  life  of  believers  in  the 
church  if  zve  zvould  maintain  its  true  tise  and 
value.  Baptism  admits  to  church-membership. 
It  is  not  an  isolated  individual  act  merely 
with  no  relation  to  the  church-membership.     In 


THE   ORDINANCES  157 

Ephesians  4  :  ^-6,  Paul  gives  the  true  basis  of 
Christian  union.  It  is  sevenfold  union :  "  Give 
diligence  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the 
bond  of  peace:  one  body  (the  church),  and  one 
Spirit  (God's  Holy  Spirit),  even  as  ye  were 
called  in  one  hope  of  your  calling  (the  Christian 
calling),  one  Lord  (Jesus  Christ),  one  faith 
(faith  in  Christ),  one  baptism  (the  immersion  of 
the  believer  in  water),  one  God  and  Father  of 
all,  who  is  over  all  and  through  all  and  in  all." 
Here,  then,  is  the  glorious  outline  of  Christian 
unity  by  the  matchless  hand  of  the  master 
builder,  Paul.  We  shall  realize  it  when  his  ideal 
becomes  the  practical  working  ideal  of  Christen- 
dom. When  the  members  of  the  one  body,  ani- 
mated by  the  one  Spirit,  shall  bow  to  the  author- 
ity of  the  one  Lord ;  when  other  lords  shall  give 
place  to  him;  when  the  lord  of  self-will,  and  the 
lord  of  convenience,  and  the  lord  of  inclination, 
and  the  lord  of  pride  in  the  heart,  and  the  lord  of 
half-heartedness  shall  give  place  to  the  Lord  of 
life  and  glory,  then  the  ideal  of  unity  will  come 
to  pass,  and  unto  the  angels  and  principalities  and 
powers  in  the  heavenly  places  shall  be  made 
known  through  the  church  the  manifold  wisdom 
of  God. 

The  advocates  of  "  open  membership  "  among 
Baptists  forget  these  and  other  scriptures.  Bap- 
tism belongs  in  the  great  group  of  unities.  We 
must   not   make   it   optional   with   men.      Christ 


158     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

commands  and  requires  it.  A  church  with  no 
condition  of  membership  would  soon  cease  to 
attract  men.  No  folly  is  greater  than  the  idea 
that  the  leveling  of  the  walls  will  attract  men  into 
the  church.  Human  nature  wants  what  costs 
something.  We  must  not  compromise  the  New 
Testament  truth  here.  Our  historic  Baptist  posi- 
tion is  sound.  It  has  given  us  success  hitherto. 
Let  us  be  loyal  to  it  now  and  always. 

5.  //  zve  zwuld  preserve  the  spiritual  meaning 
and  value  of  the  ordinance^,  ive  must  maintain 
their  true  relation  to  the  subject  zvho  obeys  in  the 
act.  For  the  person  baptized  baptism  is  a  means 
of  expressing  his  relation  to  Jesus  Christ.  No 
one  will  appreciate  baptism  who  overlooks  this 
fact.  For  the  normal  believer,  the  person  who 
follows  the  natural  instincts  of  his  heart  when 
he  becomes  a  follower  of  Christ,  obedience  in 
baptism  is  far  more  than  the  mechanical  obser- 
vance of  a  mere  religious  form.  Feeling  and 
sentiment,  loyalty  and  love  abound  in  the  act. 
Suppose  you  hold  in  your  hand  a  picture  of  a  wo- 
man's face,  an  imaginary  face,  conceived  in  the 
mind  and  transferred  to  the  canvas  of  some  artist. 
If  it  were  a  beautiful  face,  artistically  painted, 
you  might  care  for  it  because  of  its  artistic  value. 
Otherwise  it  would  not  interest  you  at  all.  But 
suppose,  instead  of  being  an  imaginary  face,  it 
was  the  face  of  a  real  woman.  Suppose,  further, 
that  real  woman  was  your  mother,  and  still  fur- 


THE   ORDINANCES  1 59 

ther  that  your  mother  was  dead,  and  this  was  the 
only  picture  of  her  you  possessed;  and  now  sup- 
pose in  her  last  moments,  her  dying  statement, 
she  had  given  you  the  picture  and  told  you  to 
preserve  it  and  remember  her  by  means  of  it.  Do 
you  not  see  how  your  whole  soul  would  go  out 
in  affection  toward  that  picture  ?  It  would  be  to 
you  an  expression  of  one  of  the  deepest  and 
sweetest  of  personal  human  relations.  Your 
treatment  of  the  picture  would  be  your  expres- 
sion of  your  feeling  toward  your  mother.  Even 
so,  to  the  loyal  and  loving  disciple  of  Jesus,  bap- 
tism is  full  of  sweet,  personal  meaning.  Let  me 
try  to  put  into  words  the  real  feelings  of  the 
normal  disciple,  who  is  truly  loyal  to  Jesus,  as  he 
is  baptized.     This  is  what  he  says  in  his  heart : 

''  Let  me  follow  the  example  of  my  Master  in 
this  act.  He  went  all  the  way  to  Jordan  to  be 
baptized  by  John,  and  he  said,  '  Thus  it  becometh 
us  to  fulfil  all  righteousness,'  and  surely  if  it  be- 
came him,  it  becomes  me.  Let  me  obey  the  com- 
mand of  my  Master,  for  he  gave  this  command  in 
his  last  words  to  the  disciples.  Let  me  obey  just 
as  his  words  require  me  to  obey.  Let  the  quality 
of  my  obedience  not  be  lowered  by  compromises 
of  any  kind.  Let  no  one  presume  to  obey  for  me 
when  I  am  a  helpless,  unconscious  babe.  Vica- 
rious obedience  here  is  not  real  obedience.  Let 
my  obedience  be  not  something  which  men  call 
the  '  spirit  of  obedience,'  while  the  fact  of  obedi- 


l60     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

ence  is  wanting.  Let  me  not  follow  my  comfort 
or  convenience,  or  the  advice  of  human  advisers, 
and  obey  partially  when  I  can  obey  fully.  Let 
me  have  the  joy  of  full  obedience.  Let  me  die  in 
symbol  as  Christ  died  actually.  Let  me  be  buried 
in  the  watery  tomb  as  he  was  buried  in  the  grave. 
Let  me  rise  again  from  that  symbolic  grave  as 
he  rose  from  the  tomb  in  the  garden.  Let  me 
walk  in  newness  of  life  as  he  walked  in  resurrec- 
tion power." 

It  is  thus  that  the  disciple  thinks  and  feels  and 
speaks.  It  is  thus  that  he  enters  into  mystic  fel- 
lowship with  his  Saviour.  It  is  thus  that  he 
catches  the  spirit  of  the  great  passage  of  Paul  in 
the  sixth  chapter  of  Romans.  Baptism  is  baptism 
into  Christ.  It  is  symbolic  union  with  Christ. 
As  the  hand  is  a  member  of  the  body,  so  now  the 
believer  is  a  member  of  Christ.  The  ordinance 
does  not  unite  him  to  Christ,  but  it  symbolizes  the 
union.  He  desires  now  to  live  the  life  the  ordi- 
nance symbolizes.  He  now  says,  *'  The  love  of 
Christ  constraineth  me,"  meaning  by  the  love  of 
Christ,  not  his  love  for  Christ  simply,  nor  Christ's 
love  for  him  simply,  but  meaning  rather  the  great 
eternal  principle  of  love  which  ruled  in  Christ  and 
is  now  ruling  in  him,  as  the  life  of  the  head 
rules  in  the  members.  Again  he  says  with  Paul : 
"  I  count  all  things  to  be  loss  for  the  excellency  of 
the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus,  my  Lord,  if  by 
any  means  I  may  attain  unto  the  resurrection  of 


THE    ORDINANCES  l6l 

the  dead."  Paul  did  not  doubt  that  he  would  be 
raised  from  the  dead,  but  he  was  anxious  that  his 
life  and  character  be  worthy  of  the  resurrection 
glory.  The  bride  may  not  doubt  the  marriage  just 
ahead  before  the  multitude  of  spectators,  but  her 
hand  trembles  as  she  arranges  her  hair  lest  she  be 
not  worthy  of  the  great  occasion.  Men  and  wo- 
men and  children  obey  Christ  in  baptism  because 
they  are  swayed  by  the  eternal  motive.  They 
are  transformed  by  the  vision  of  the  risen  and 
glorified  Saviour,  and  the  very  act  expresses, 
meaning  and  the  deepest  feeling  in  their  hearts. 


THE  MANIFOLD  CORONATION 
OF  OUR  DIVINE  LORD 

ROBERT  STUART  MacARTHUR,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 
President,  Baptist  World  Alliance 


And  on  his  head  were  many  crowns. — Rev.  19  :  12. 


THE  MANIFOLD  CORONATION 
OF  OUR  DIVINE  LORD 


Moscow  is  far  and  away  the  most  interesting  city 
in  vast  Russia.  This  statement  is  true  archi- 
tecturally, historically,  racially,  and  religiously. 
Muravieff  graciously  considered  Rome  to  be  in- 
teresting because  it  reminded  him  of  Moscow. 
Petrograd  is  modern  and  European ;  but  Moscow 
is  ancient  and  Asiatic.  Moscow  is  the  heart  of  old 
Russia;  the  Kremlin  is  the  heart  of  Moscow;  the 
Treasury  is  the  heart  of  the  Kremlin;  and  the 
throne-  and  crown-rooms  are  the  heart  of  the 
Treasury. 

Enter  the  throne-room.  Here  is  the  throne  of 
Poland,  taken  from  Warsaw  in  1833;  here  is  the 
gorgeously  jeweled  throne  of  Persia,  brought  to 
Russia  in  1660;  and  here  is  the  Eastern  ivory 
throne  of  Sophia  Paleologus,  which  she  brought 
with  her  to  Russia  in  1473,  when  she  came  as  the 
bride  of  Ivan  III.  Enter  the  next  room.  There 
we  see  a  row  of  crowns  standing  on  pedestals,  all 
silent,  but  eloquent  witnesses  to  Russia's  triumphs 
in  the  past,  her  power  in  the  present,  and  her 
hopes  for  the  future.  Look  at  some  of  those 
crowns.  Here  is  the  crown  of  Astrakan,  the 
M  165 


l66     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

crown  of  the  Crimea,  the  crown  of  Finland,  the 
crown  of  Georgia,  the  crown  of  Kazan,  the  crown 
of  Poland,  the  crown  of  Siberia,  and  still  other 
crowns  which  I  do  not  name.  We  have  here,  as 
has  been  said  with  appreciable  exaggeration, 
''  crowns  upon  crowns,  scepters  upon  scepters, 
rivers  of  diamonds,  oceans  of  pearls."  Com- 
pared with  this  Treasury,  all  other  treasuries 
seem  to  be  insignificant. 

When,  on  May  26,  1896,  the  present  czar  put 
with  his  own  hands,  as  is  the  manner  of  Russian 
czars  at  their  coronation,  the  crown  of  Russia  on 
his  brow,  he  virtually  put  on  all  these  other 
crowns  which  I  have  named.  He  might  well  be 
called  the  many-crowned  czar. 

But  I  now  speak  not  of  the  coronation  of  any 
earthly  kings  or  emperors  or  czars.  I  speak  of 
the  coronation  of  Him  who  is  King  of  kings  and 
Lord  of  lords,  Jesus  Christ,  Son  of  man,  and  Son 
of  God.  In  Revelation  19  :  12  we  read,  "  And 
on  his  head  were  many  crowns."  I  am  embar- 
rassed by  the  richness  of  my  subject.  What 
crowns  shall  I  omit?  What  crowns  shall  I 
name?  I  shall  mention  only  those  crowns  which 
suggest  lordship  over  vast  realms. 

The  Crown  of  Creation. 

I  see  on  Christ's  brow  the  Crozim  of  Creation. 
The  first  verse  in  the  Bible,  as  we  all  know,  is, 
"  In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heaven  and 


CORONATION   OF   OUR   LORD  1 67 

the  earth."  These  are  majestic  words;  nothing 
more  sublime  is  found  in  any  literature.  The 
Bible  nowhere  attempts  to  prove  the  existence 
of  God ;  the  Bible  as  a  revelation  from  God  neces- 
sarily implies  his  existence.  This  verse  virtually 
denies  atheism,  because  it  assumes  theism;  it  de- 
nies materialism,  because  it  asserts  creation;  it 
rejects  pantheism,  because  it  declares  the  per- 
sonality of  God.  Were  it  not  that  we  have  be- 
come so  familiar  with  this  verse,  its  reading 
would  invariably  evoke  our  admiration  and 
secure  our  reverence. 

Alongside  of  this  verse  we  must  put  another 
which  is  somewhat  similar  in  form,  is  equally 
majestic  in  significance,  and  is  profounder  in 
its  theistic  philosophy  and  mystery.  This  verse 
is  the  first  one  in  the  Gospel  by  the  Evangelist 
John,  ''  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the 
Word  was  with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God." 
This  verse  sets  forth  the  eternal  preexistence  of 
Jesus  Christ,  his  personal  coexistence  with  the 
Father,  and  his  divine  essence  as  God.  It  is  the 
formulation  of  the  proposition  to  prove  which  the 
Gospel  by  this  Evangelist  was  written;  and,  in 
the  writer's  opinion,  as  he  informs  us  near  the 
close  of  the  Gospel  (20  :  31),  he  has  proved  the 
Messiahship  and  the  Godhead  of  Jesus  Christ  as 
the  eternal  Word.  The  writer  goes  back,  as  did 
Moses,  to  the  origin  of  all  things,  and  there  he 
finds  God  as  Creator.     By  the  side  of  this  won- 


l68     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

derful  verse  we  ought  also  to  put  the  third  and 
fourth  verses  of  this  same  chapter :  "  All  things 
were  made  through  him;  and  without  him  was 
not  anything  made  that  hath  been  made.  In  him 
was  life;  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men." 
Here  the  work  of  creation  is  distinctly  ascribed 
to  the  divine  Word,  who  is  Jesus  Christ.  Thus 
creative  Omnipotence  is  ascribed  to  Jesus  Christ ; 
we  thus  see  that  he  is  the  divine  Personality  who 
is  spoken  of  in  Genesis  as  the  Creator. 

By  the  side  of  both  of  these  passages  we  ought 
to  place  the  remarkable  words  in  Colossians  i  : 
1 6,  17:  "  For  in  him  were  all  things  created,  in 
the  heavens  and  upon  the  earth,  things  visible 
and  invisible  .  .  .  and  all  things  have  been 
created  through  him  and  unto  him ;  and  he  is  be- 
fore all  things,  and  in  him  all  things  exist." 
When  we  turn  to  Hebrews  i  :  2  we  read  that 
the  Son  is  "  appointed  heir  of  all  things,  through 
him  also  he  made  the  worlds."  We  thus  see  that 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  Creator  of  this  physical  uni- 
verse. He  is  our  Prophet,  our  Priest,  our  King, 
our  Creator,  our  Preserver,  and  our  Redeemer. 
Preservation  is  continuous  creation ;  and  redemp- 
tion is  the  loftiest  function  of  the  Almighty;  it 
is,  indeed,  the  recreation  of  the  race.  Not  God 
the  Father,  not  God  the  Spirit,  but  God  the  Son 
is  the  glorious  Personality  of  the  blessed  Trinity 
through  whom  creative  and  preservative  power 
manifests  itself  in  this  world. 


EDWIN  McNeill  poteat 

Pastor,  1898-1903 


CORONATION   OF   OUR   LORD  1 69 

This  world  was  once  the  thought  of  God,  as 
the  engine  was  once  the  thought  of  its  inventor. 
This  world  is  still  the  thought  of  God.  It  is  now 
God's  thought  materialized,  incarnated,  trans- 
lated. The  mountains  are  God's  majestic 
thoughts.  The  stars  are  God's  brilliant  thoughts. 
The  flowers  are  God's  beautiful  thoughts.  Crea- 
tion speaks  to  us  of  his  wisdom,  his  power,  and 
his  love.  We  ought  to  study  creation  with  this 
thought  in  mind,  as  our  dominant  motive  and 
our  lofty  inspiration.  Do  I  study  geology? 
Then,  with  Hugh  Miller,  I  may  read  God's 
thoughts  in  the  imperishable  granite.  Do  I  study 
astronomy?  Then  I  am  reading  God's  thoughts 
after  him.  Every  true  student  may  say  with  the 
great  astronomer  Kepler,  "  O  Almighty  God,  I 
think  thy  thoughts  after  thee."  Thus  I  may  see 
Jesus  Christ  as  the  bright  and  Morning  Star.  Do 
I  study  botany?  Then  I  shall  see  Christ  as  the 
Rose  of  Sharon  and  the  Lily  of  the  Valley.  In 
studying  chemistry,  I  may  learn  that  every  law  of 
attraction  and  repulsion  is  a  manifestation  of  the 
will  of  God.  Why  do  two  and  two  make  four? 
Why  do  they  not  make  five?  Why  not  three? 
No  man  can  conclusively  answer  these  questions. 
The  fact  that  two  and  two  make  four  is  a  revela- 
tion of  the  Almighty  from  eternity.  All  the 
world  to  the  devout  student  is  voiceful  with  God's 
name,  and  resplendent  with  God's  glory. 

The  modern  conception  of  the  uniformity  and 


170     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

the  universality  of  law  does  not  militate  against 
this  truth.  Some  men  speak  of  law  as  if  it  some- 
how had  a  personality  and  potency  of  its  own; 
they  incorrectly  define  law  if  they  attempt  to  give 
it  any  definition.  What  is  law  in  this  connection  ? 
May  I  attempt  a  definition?  Law  is  the  name 
which  we  give  to  the  manner  in  which  we  have 
observed  some  force  to  act.  If  that  force  be 
material,  we  have  a  physical  law ;  if  it  be  mental, 
we  have  an  intellectual  law;  if  it  be  moral,  we 
have  a  spiritual  law.  Law  is  not  a  force ;  law  is  a 
form.  Law  is  not  a  power;  law  is  a  process. 
Law  is  not  a  motor ;  law  is  a  motion.  Law  is  not 
an  agent;  law  is  an  agency.  Back  of  the  motion 
is  the  motor;  there  stands  God.  Back  of  the  proc- 
ess is  the  power;  there  stands  God.  Back  of  the 
form  is  the  force ;  there  stands  God.  Back  of  the 
agency  is  the  agent ;  there  stands  God.  The  laws 
of  nature  have  been  well  called  "  the  habits  of 
God."  They  reveal  God,  glorify  God,  and  exalt 
his  presence  and  power. 

Evolution  does  not  eliminate  God  from  the 
universe.  Perhaps  we  are  not  ready  to  affirm 
that  the  doctrine  of  evolution  has  been  indispu- 
tably established,  but  for  all  practical  purposes  it 
has  been  established.  It  certainly  is  sufficiently 
established  to  be  a  working  hypothesis.  Evolu- 
tion only  puts  God  farther  back  in  the  line  of 
development.  I  believe  that  evolution  the  more 
exalts  God;  it  gives  him  additional  honor  and 


CORONATION    OF   OUR   LORD  I71 

glory.  There  may  be  an  agnostic  and  even  an 
atheistic  evolution;  but  there  may  be  an  evolu- 
tion which  is  truly  theistic  and  even  Christie. 
This  evolution  honors  God  with  knowledge  and 
power  to  a  remarkable  degree.  Evolution  is 
simply  God's  method  of  accomplishing  deter- 
mined results.  Evolution  implies  an  involver; 
nothing  can  be  evolved  which  was  not  first  in- 
volved. Evolution  thus  necessitates  involution. 
Law  suggests  a  Lawgiver;  order  implies  an  Or- 
dainer.  The  progress  of  physical  science  is  mak- 
ing it  vastly  easier  for  us  to  believe  in  God  than 
ever  before.  A  generation  ago  religious  men 
were  fearful  regarding  the  progress  of  scientific 
knowledge.  Their  fears  have  not  been  justified 
by  the  results.  The  long-distance  telephone  and 
the  wireless  telegraph  make  it  easier  than  ever 
before  in  the  history  of  the  human  race  to  believe 
in  the  unseen  God  and  in  invisible  forces.  I  can 
stand  in  New  York  and  talk  through  a  long-dis- 
tance telephone  to  my  brother  man  in  Chicago, 
in  round  numbers  one  thousand  miles  away,  with- 
out the  violation  of  natural  law,  but  in  perfect 
harmony  therewith.  Who  dare  say  that  I  can- 
not kneel  in  my  room  and  talk  to  my  Father  who 
is  in  heaven  ?  Heaven  is  nearer  to  me  than  Chi- 
cago. Perhaps  this  heavenly  communication  is 
in  as  perfect  harmony  with  natural  law  as  when 
I  talk  to  my  brother  man  in  Chicago.  A  genera- 
tion ago  it  would  have  been  affirmed  that  it  was 


172     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

contrary  to  all  natural  law  to  claim  that  we  could 
talk  to  a  man  a  thousand  miles  away.  It  was 
contrary  to  the  natural  laws  that  were  then 
known,  but  we  did  not  then  know  all  natural 
laws ;  and  he  would  be  a  reckless  man  who  would 
affirm  that  we  know  all  natural  laws  to-day.  God 
is  speaking  to  us  in  his  world.  And  as  we  listen 
to  our  Father's  voice,  we  may  see  our  Father's 
face  in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  he  said, 
"  He  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father." 
The  crown  of  Creation  is  on  the  brow  of  our 
divine  Lord  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ. 

The  Crown  of  Revelation. 

We  see  also  on  the  brow  of  Christ  the  Crown 
of  Revelation.  We  have  made  unwarranted  dis- 
tinction between  God's  world  and  God's  word. 
I  distinctly  remember  when  certain  teachers 
thought  that  they  gave  additional  honor  to 
the  word  by  taking  somewhat  from  the  honor 
of  the  world.  These  were  chiefly  Scottish  teach- 
ers and  preachers,  to  whom  I  listened  as  a 
boy.  That  was  a  great  mistake.  God's  word 
and  God's  world  are  only  different  parts  of  God's 
wonderful  book  of  revelation.  There  is  no  con- 
tradiction between  natural  and  revealed  religion 
when  both  are  rightly  understood.  Natural  re- 
ligion is  revealed  religion,  as  far  as  it  goes.  But 
neither  goes  far  enough,  and  so  both  are  supple- 
mented by  God's   fuller,   humaner,   and   diviner 


CORONATION    OF    OUR    LORD  1 73 

revelation  contained  in  the  blessed  book  which 
we  call  the  Bible. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  Nineteenth  Psalm  sets 
forth  most  beautifully  the  true  relation  which 
ought  to  exist  between  God's  world  and  God's 
word.  In  the  first  six  verses  of  that  psalm  we 
have  natural  religion :  "  The  heavens  declare  the 
glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament  showeth  his 
handiwork.  Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech,  and 
night  unto  night  showeth  knowledge."  We  have 
here  one  of  the  finest  personifications  I  know  of 
in  any  writer.  One  day  is  represented  as  calling 
to  the  next  day,  and  the  next  takes  up  the  cry  and 
passes  it  on ;  thus  day  unto  day,  in  ceaseless  pro- 
cession, shows  God's  wondrous  revelation  of  him- 
self. In  the  seventh  verse  of  this  psalm  we  enter 
into  a  new  atmosphere.  We  feel  now  that  we 
are  breathing  the  air  more  distinctively  of 
heaven,  and  that  our  feet  are  standing  upon  the 
solid  rock,  for  we  read,  "  The  law  of  the  Lord  is 
perfect,  restoring  the  soul."  Down  to  the  end  of 
the  thirteenth  verse  we  have  revealed  religion,  and 
the  effect  which  it  ought  to  produce  on  conduct 
and  character.  Then  in  the  last  verse  we  have  ex- 
perimental religion  :  "  Let  the  words  of  my  mouth 
and  the  meditation  of  my  heart  be  acceptable  in 
thy  sight,  O  Lord,  my  strength  and  my  re- 
deemer." Observe  what  progress  we  have  made 
in  this  psalm.  We  have  first,  creation;  second, 
revelation;  third,  regeneration — natural  religion, 


174     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

revealed  religion,  experimental  religion.  As  I 
understand  it,  this  psalm  is,  in  this  respect,  an 
epitome  of  the  whole  Bible. 

Strictly  speaking,  the  Bible  is  not  a  book;  it  is 
a  library.  It  is  the  most  wonderful  library  in 
existence.  It  took  i,6oo  years  to  make  it.  It 
took  God  Almighty,  and  probably  forty  human 
writers,  to  produce  it.  Some  of  these  writers 
were  princes,  some  were  peasants;  some  were 
lovers  of  war,  some,  preservers  of  peace.  Parts 
of  it  were  written  in  prison;  parts  in  palaces; 
parts  by  men  of  the  highest  culture ;  parts  by  men 
of  ordinary  intellect.  And  yet  the  book  is  a  unit. 
The  unity  of  the  whole  Bible  centers  about 
Jesus  Christ.  From  the  first  majestic  words  of 
Genesis  to  the  last  love-notes  of  Revelation,  this 
book  reveals  his  glory  and  chants  his  praise. 

We  remember  that  when  Handel  became  dis- 
couraged by  his  attempts  to  give  opera  in  London 
in  a  comparatively  unknown  tongue,  he  left  Lon- 
don and  went  to  Dublin.  Just  before  leaving  Lon- 
don, a  friend  gave  him  a  passage  of  Scripture  on 
which  to  write  an  oratorio.  In  Dublin  he  wrote 
the  oratorio  which  was  first  called  ''  The  Sacred 
Oratorio,"  and  which  was  produced  first  in  Dublin 
in  the  autumn  of  174 1.  A  few  months  ago  I  sat 
by  the  organ  on  which  Handel  played  this  ora- 
torio. It  was  given  in  London,  March  2^^,  I743, 
in  Covent  Garden.  When  the  '*  Hallelujah 
Chorus  "  was  rendered,  the  king,  George  II,  the 


CORONATION    OF    OUR    LORD  1 75 

court,  and  the  whole  audience  arose,  and  thus 
established  a  custom  which  continues  to  this  day 
in  America  and  Great  Britain.  The  oratorio  gave 
Handel  immediate  fame  in  both  cities;  now  it  is 
known  as  the  ''  Oratorio  of  the  Messiah,"  and  it 
has  carried  in  sacred  song  the  name  of  Handel 
around  the  globe.  He  linked  his  name,  as  a 
musician,  with  the  immortal  name  of  Christ. 
The  operas  of  the  hour  are  for  the  hour.  The 
music  that  has  in  it  the  element  of  enduringness 
is  religious  music.  The  man  whose  name  is  in- 
separably linked  with  the  name  of  Christ,  will 
catch  somewhat  of  the  glory  of  Christ,  and  will 
live  in  the  future,  crowned,  in  his  measure,  with 
immortal  youth,  as  is  Jesus  Christ.  I  never  lose 
an  opportunity  to  hear  that  oratorio.  There  are 
parts  of  it  so  sweet  and  so  beautiful  that  I  some- 
times think  that  if  heaven  has  anything  better  in 
the  way  of  song,  I  cannot  endure  the  bliss,  except 
I  be  endued  with  new  powers  of  enjoyment.  I 
have  listened  to  the  pastoral  symphony  in  that 
oratorio  until  the  plain  of  Bethlehem  came 
visibly  before  my  eyes,  and  the  song  of  the  angels 
that  rolled  over  the  plain  the  night  the  Christ  was 
born  echoed  through  my  soul.  I  have  listened  to 
the  contralto  solo,  ''  He  was  despised  and  rejected 
of  men,  a  Man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted 
with  grief,"  until  it  seemed  as  if  my  own  heart 
would  break  with  sympathetic  sorrow.  I  have 
listened    to    the    "  Hallelujah    Chorus "    until    I 


176     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

could  appreciate  what  Handel  said  of  the  com- 
position, that  he  seemed  to  see  the  gates  of 
heaven  opened,  and  the  great  God  standing  be- 
fore him.  We  know  that  Handel  wrote  parts 
of  that  music  on  his  knees,  and  that  he  mingled 
his  tears  with  his  ink. 

But,  men  and  women,  the  real,  the  true,  the 
most  glorious  oratorio  of  "  The  Messiah  "  I  have 
here  in  my  hand  as  I  hold  the  Bible  aloft.  The 
score  and  the  text  were  written  by  God  through 
holy  men  of  old.  This  divine-human  book  is  the 
true  ''  Oratorio  of  the  Messiah."  The  Bible  is 
the  revelation  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ  his  Son, 
and  our  divine  Redeemer.  The  genuine  unity  of 
which  I  spoke  pervades  the  book.  In  every  great 
musical  composition  there  is  a  diapason,  a  uni- 
tive,  a  pervasive,  a  dominant,  a  concordant  note. 
If  I  were  skilful  as  a  musician,  I  could  stand  by 
Niagara  Falls  and  write  the  score  of  the  majestic 
music  of  this  marvelous  cataract.  If  I  were  a 
sufficiently  competent  musician,  I  could  stand  by 
a  little  brook  and  write  the  score  of  its  music; 
both  would  have  their  diapason,  their  pervasive 
and  unitive  notes.  Jesus  Christ  is  the  diapason  of 
the  oratorio  of  the  Bible.  His  name  is  the  harmo- 
nious note  in  this  glorious  song  of  the  ages.  The 
unity  of  the  Bible  is  not  external,  but  internal ;  it 
is  not  mechanical,  but  essential ;  it  is  not  material, 
but  spiritual;  and  throughout  all  the  Bible  the 
name  of  Christ  echoes,  and  the  glory  of  Christ 


CORONATION    OF   OUR   LORD  1 77 

shines.  Through  the  corridors  of  Bible  revelation 
the  footfalls  of  Christ  reverberate,  and  the  music 
of  his  name  resounds. 

In  England,  as  in  America,  audiences  uni- 
formly rise  when  choirs  begin  to  sing  the  "  Halle- 
lujah Chorus  "  in  the  ''  Oratorio  of  the  Mes- 
siah." In  Albert  Hall,  London,  a  great  audience 
was  assembled,  and  Victoria,  the  great  and  good, 
was  present  in  the  royal  box.  The  audience  rose, 
but  the  noble  queen  remained  seated.  Soon  every 
eye  was  directed  to  the  royal  box  in  which  sat  the 
aged  and  somewhat  enfeebled  queen.  On  rolled 
the  magnificent  chorus;  but  the  queen  remained 
seated.  Higher  still  mounted  the  lofty  song;  on- 
ward swept  the  glorious  music.  With  curious 
glances  the  audience  turned  to  the  royal  box  in 
which  the  queen  remained  seated.  Loftier  still 
rose  the  celestial  notes.  Now  the  song  reached 
the  part  of  the  chorus  where  Christ  is  praised  as 
*'  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords."  The  swell- 
ing song  thus  puts  the  crown  of  universal  do- 
minion on  his  divine-human  brow.  Then  the 
noble  queen  arose,  stepped  forward  to  the  front 
of  the  royal  box,  and  stood  with  bowed  head,  as 
if  she  would  put  the  crown  of  the  world's 
mightiest  empire  at  the  pierced  feet  of  her  divine 
Lord.  Creation  and  revelation,  art  and  science, 
song  and  story,  learning  and  genius,  and  all 
earthly  rulers  reach  their  noblest  heights  when 
they  bend  in  lowliest  reverence  at  the  feet  of 


178     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

Jesus  Christ,  and  crown  him  "  King-  of  kings  and 
Lord  of  lords."  Thus  we  see  the  Crown  of  Reve- 
lation on  the  brow  of  our  Lord  and  Master. 

The  Crown  of  History. 

We  see  on  Christ's  brow  also  the  Crozvn  of 
History.  What  is  history  ?  It  is  not  easy  to  give 
a  satisfactory  definition.  Perhaps  we  may  say 
that  history  is  a  systematic  narrative  of  events  in 
which  man  has  participated.  We  sometimes  say 
that  Herodotus  was  the  father  of  history.  Not 
so ;  Moses  is  the  father  of  history.  Moses  was  an 
ancient  and  authoritative  historian  centuries  be- 
fore Herodotus  was  born.  Thucydides  has  given 
us  valuable  illustrations  of  a  scientific  tendency 
in  the  study  of  history.  Polybius  was  an  accu- 
rate student  of  Thucydides.  Caesar  was  not  a 
scientific  historian,  but  a  chronicler.  Xenophon 
was  simply  an  annalist;  even  Livy  and  Tacitus 
were  not  quite  scientific  historians.  Eusebius 
was  the  first  ecclesiastical  historian  worthy 
the  name.  Augustine  in  his  great  apologetic 
work,  the  "  City  of  God,"  unfolded  the  meaning 
of  the  past  and  the  secrets  of  the  future.  In 
ten  books  of  the  twenty-two  into  which  this  work 
is  divided,  he  refutes  the  pagan  notion  that  the 
worship  of  the  gods  secures  prosperity  here  or 
hereafter.  In  the  remaining  twelve  books  he 
traces  the  progress  of  the  kingdom  of  God  until 
it  ends  in  final  triumph.    He  spent  thirteen  years 


CORONATION    OF    OUR    LORD  1 79 

of  his  busy  life,  from  413  to  426,  in  the  sublime 
attempt  to  construct  a  Christian  philosophy  of 
history. 

But  we  do  not  have  a  true  conception  of  his- 
tory until  about  the  year  1567.  Then  Jean 
Bodin  published  his  historical  philosophy.  He 
was  the  enemy  of  persecution ;  his  antagonism  to 
the  ultra-Catholics  cost  him  the  favor  of  his  royal 
patrons.  It  has  been  said  that  he  deserves  a 
place  with  Aristotle  and  Montesquieu  as  one  of 
the  three  greatest  political  philosophers  in  history. 
He  enunciated  the  proposition  that  the  course  of 
events  is  controlled  by  definite  laws. 

Bossuet,  for  the  primary  purpose  of  instructing 
the  Dauphin,  wrote  his  *'  Discourses  on  Universal 
History,"  which  were  published  in  168 1.  This 
was  an  attempt,  following  Augustine  and  Bodin, 
to  give  a  philosophical  treatment  to  history. 
Bossuet  is  considered  to  be  one  of  the  greatest 
ecclesiastical  orators  of  the  world,  some  say  the 
greatest.  He  is  celebrated  for  his  orations  at  the 
funerals  of  the  Duchess  of  Orleans  and  the  great 
Conde.  These  orations  are  masterpieces  of  this 
kind  of  eloquence. 

The  true  founder,  however,  of  historical  phi- 
losophy was  Giovanni  Battista  Vico,  who  was 
born  in  Naples  in  1668.  He  was  truly  a  great 
Italian  philosopher.  His  "  New  Science  "  was 
published  in  1725.  The  germ  of  his  political 
speculations    is    found    in    Plato's    "  Republic." 


l80     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

Vice's  aim  was  to  reconcile  the  existence  of  a 
divine  plan  with  freedom  of  human  agency. 
There  is  a  science  and  there  is  a  philosophy  of 
history;  and  the  true  historian  does  not  simply 
state  facts,  but  also  shows  the  relation  between 
causes  and  effects.  In  any  true  conception  of 
history  it  is  seen  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  unifier  of 
the  history  of  the  world.  Neither  Gibbon,  Hume, 
Macaulay,  Green,  nor  McMaster,  I  venture  to 
affirm,  nor  any  other  man  can  write  a  scientific 
history  of  the  world  and  leave  out  Jesus  Christ. 
We  might  as  well  try  to  write  a  treatise  on 
astronomy  and  leave  out  the  sun.  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  Sun  of  the  moral  universe.  All  the 
events  of  history  before  his  coming  converged 
toward  him;  all  events  since  have  diverged  from 
him.  Christ's  cross  is  the  pivotal  point  in  the 
history  of  the  race.  On  this  cross  was  written 
his  title  in  Hebrew,  the  language  of  religion;  in 
Greek,  the  language  of  art ;  in  Latin,  the  language 
of  law  and  military  power.  The  cross  stood  at 
the  confluence  of  these  three  streams  of  ancient 
civilization.  Religion  came  and  laid  its  crown  at 
Jesus  Christ's  feet ;  art  came  and  paid  its  tribute 
at  the  cross;  and  law  came  and  cast  its  honors 
before  the  Christ.  They  all  virtually  said,  '*  We 
will  have  Jesus  for  our  King."  Christ  assuredly 
is  the  center  of  the  civilization  of  the  race. 

Somehow  we  have  largely  lost  this  conception 
of  the  position  of  Christ.     We  have  somehow 


CORONATION    OF    OUR    LORD  l8l 

relegated  Jesus  to  distant  ages  and  remote  coun- 
tries. We  are  willing  to  believe  that  God  was  in 
the  world  in  the  days  of  Moses  and  David,  of 
Solomon  and  Isaiah,  and  of  Hosea  and  Mala- 
chi ;  perhaps  also  in  the  days  of  the  apostles,  and 
some  would  admit  that  God  was  actively  present 
in  the  days  of  Wesley  and  Whitefield.  But, 
somehow,  many  of  us  in  this  day  and  time  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  God  has  retired  from 
the  world.  Do  not  believe  it.  God  is  not  dead ; 
God  is  not  dethroned.  The  pierced  palm  of  Jesus 
Christ  is  on  the  helm  of  this  universe.  God  was 
never  more  really  in  the  world  than  he  is  to-day. 
Jesus  Christ  was  never  more  truly  the  center  of 
the  events  of  history  than  he  is  now.  Even  in 
the  center  of  the  events  of  this  terrible  war,  now 
devastating  the  world,  is  Jesus  Christ.  I  would 
not  pun  on  a  word  in  a  sacred  connection ;  but  I 
say  that  history  is  His  Story.  The  story  of  Christ 
is  the  history  of  man.  I  believe  that  God  is  going 
before  America,  Great  Britain,  France,  and 
Italy  as  truly  to-day  as  he  went  before  Israel  of 
old,  with  pillar  of  cloud  by  day  and  pillar  of  fire 
by  night.  He  is  leading  America  and  her  allies 
onward  and  upward,  until  soon  America  will  sit 
crowned  as  queen  in  the  congress  of  nations. 
Men  say  God  was  with  Washington  and  God  was 
with  Lincoln.  Why  should  we  not  say  God  is 
with  our  heroic  leaders  to-day.  Is  not  God  with 
Lloyd  George  and  Woodrow  Wilson,  as  truly  as 

N 


l82     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

he  was  with  Washington  and  Lincoln?  I  speak 
not  as  a  partisan,  but  as  an  enthusiastic,  al- 
though only  an  adopted,  American  citizen. 
Jesus  Christ  is  guiding  this  whole  world  into 
fuller  light,  into  larger  life,  and  into  diviner  work 
than  ever  before  in  the  history  of  America  or  in 
the  history  of  humanity.  We  thus  see  on  the 
august  brow  of  Jesus  the  Christ  the  Crown  of 
History. 

The  Crozvn  of  Salvation. 

We  see  upon  Christ's  brow  also  the  Crown  of 
Salvation.  I  limit  the  word  salvation,  for  the 
moment,  to  our  personal  Christian  experience.  I 
shall  not  make  light  of  the  church,  God  forbid. 
I  am  too  much  of  a  churchman  for  that.  The 
church  is  the  bride  of  Christ.  He  came  from 
heaven  to  woo  and  to  win  her.  I  shall  not  make 
light  of  church  ordinances.  God  forbid.  Bap- 
tism is  honored  as  is  no  other  ordinance  of  the 
church.  At  the  baptism  of  Jesus  all  the  persons 
of  the  divine  Trinity  were  audibly  or  visibly  pres- 
ent— God  the  Father,  by  an  audible  voice;  God 
the  Son,  in  human  form;  and  God  the  Spirit,  in 
the  form  of  a  dove.  This  is  the  only  instance  in 
the  Bible  of  the  simultaneous  presence  of  the  Holy 
Trinity.  The  ordinances  have  their  place  and 
purpose.  I  shall  not  make  light  even  of  church 
creeds.  They  have  a  place  and  purpose,  although 
not  so  great  as  many  churchmen  believe,  but  still 


CORONATION   OF   OUR   LORD  183 

a  place.  We  repeated  in  our  New  York  church 
service  the  so-called  Apostles'  Creed.  There  was 
eliminated  from  the  form  we  used  the  clause 
about  the  descent  into  Hades.  It  ought  never  to 
have  been  introduced,  and  as  speedily  as  possible 
it  ought  to  be  struck  out.  It  was  not  in  that 
creed  for  several  hundred  years,  and  no  man  can 
tell  how  it  got  into  this  creed.  Its  introduction  is 
one  of  the  mysteries  and  misfortunes  of  eccle- 
siastical history.  This  creed  ought  never  to  have 
been  called  the  Apostles'  Creed.  The  apostles 
never  wrote  it ;  and  the  last  apostle  was  hundreds 
of  years  in  heaven  before  this  creed  in  its  present 
form  was  issued.  I  would  not  make  light  of  the 
Nicene  Creed,  although  it  is  too  abstruse  and 
difficult  for  ordinary  use,  and  its  preparation  was 
the  result  of  shameful  quarrels  on  the  part  of 
members  of  the  council  who  acted  at  times  more 
like  a  caucus  of  ward  politicians  than  like  Chris- 
tian teachers.  I  am  glad  I  am  not  obliged  to  repeat 
the  Athanasian  Creed.  There  are  parts  of  it  that 
doom  many  men  to  eternal  perdition  for  no  other 
reason  than  that  they  do  not  believe  every  clause 
of  this  creed,  some  words  of  which,  on  my  lips  at 
least,  would  be  blasphemy.  In  the  Anglican 
Church,  the  days  on  which  this  creed  is  recited 
are  called  "  damnation  days."  It  has  been 
facetiously  called  "  The  Anathemasian  Creed" 
In  Christian  experience  it  is  Christ  first,  Christ 
last,  Christ  always.     We  do  not  read,  "  Come 


184     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

unto  baptism,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden."  We  do  not  read,  ''  Come  unto  the  com- 
munion for  peace  and  salvation."  But  Christ 
said,  *'  Come  unto  me,  and  I  will  give  you  rest." 

A  little  while  ago  I  was  called  to  visit  a  dying 
man.  He  did  not  belong  to  my  parish,  in  any 
strict  sense  in  which  that  term  may  be  used;  but 
my  parish  included  everybody  to  whom  I  could 
be  helpful  in  the  providence  of  God.  I  saw,  im- 
mediately on  entering  the  room,  that  he  was  a 
very  sick  man,  and  the  moment  the  members  of 
his  family  spoke  I  saw  that  I  was  in  a  Scottish 
home.  Probably  I  was  called  because  of  my 
name  and  parentage.  The  wife  went  near  him 
and  said :  ''  John,  the  minister  is  come.  Do  you 
ken  him?"  But  his  eyes  were  lightless  and  his 
face  expressionless.  His  daughter  then  went  to 
him  and  said :  "  Father,  do  ye  ken  me  ?  I'm  yer 
ain  wee  dochter  Jeanie."  But  there  was  no  re- 
sponse. The  wife  was  filled  with  peculiar  sad- 
ness, and  going  to  him  again  she  said :  "  John, 
John,  do  ye  ken  me?  John,  speak  to  me,  I'm  yer 
ain  wee  wifey."  Still  there  was  no  response. 
Then  I  went  close  to  him,  and  in  a  calm,  clear 
voice,  adopting  their  own  method  of  speech,  I 
said,  "John,  do  ye  ken  Jesus?"  Instantly  his 
face  and  eyes  were  illumined  with  almost 
heavenly  light,  and  with  strength  which  seemed 
to  be  divinely  given,  he  said :  "  Oh,  I  ken  him 
weel.    He's  my  ain  Saviour."    I  knelt  by  his  side, 


CORONATION    OF    OUR    LORD  1 85 

took  his  hand  in  mine,  and  prayed.  For  a  time  I 
felt  the  grasp  of  his  hand  in  response  to  the 
prayer,  then  his  hand  was  still,  and  when  I 
ceased  praying  I  looked  into  his  face  and  he  was 
gone.  He  had  gone  to  see  "  his  ain  Saviour  " 
face  to  face. 

That  was  no  time  to  talk  about  creeds;  that 
was  no  time  to  talk  about  churches.  That  was 
no  time  to  talk  of  baptism  or  the  communion. 
That  was  the  time  to  talk  about  Christ.  The 
older  I  grow,  the  shorter  and  simpler  my  creed 
becomes.  Not  more  creed,  but  more  Christ  the 
church  needs  and  the  world  needs.  A  Christless 
pulpit  is  a  powerless  pulpit.  Christless  pews  are 
charmless  pews.  Let  us  crown  Christ  in  our 
studies,  in  our  pleasures,  in  our  homes,  and  in 
our  business.  If  a  man  cannot  take  Christ  into 
his  business,  he  must  have  a  very  bad  business,  or 
he  must  have  a  very  poor  religion;  probably  he 
has  both. 

Christ  shall  be  crowned  with  many  crowns  in 
heaven.  Without  Christ  heaven  itself  would  be 
charmless.  You  have  children  in  heaven;  you 
have  parents  in  heaven.  But  past  the  dearest  of 
children,  past  the  best  beloved  mothers,  you  will 
hasten  to  cast  your  joyous  crown  at  the  pierced 
feet  of  Jesus  Christ.  His  name  will  be  the 
sweetest  note  in  your  most  triumphant  song;  his 
presence  will  give  heaven  its  chief  attraction. 
There  you  shall  see  him  face  to  face;  there  you 


l86     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

shall  behold  him  as  ''  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of 
lords."  Your  glad  and  grateful  song  will  re- 
sound through  heaven's  lofty  dome :  *'  Blessing, 
and  glory,  and  wisdom,  and  thanksgiving,  and 
honor,  and  power,  and  might  be  unto  God  for- 
ever and  ever." 

Higher  still  will  rise  the  other  song  which  even 
angels  and  archangels  cannot  sing,  but  which  re- 
deemed sinners  shall  ever  chant :  "  Unto  him  that 
loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own 
blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto 
God  and  his  Father,  to  him  be  glory  and  dominion 
forever  and  ever.     Amen." 


BAPTISTS  AND  EDUCATION 

ERNEST  D.  BURTON,  D.  D. 

Professor  in  the  University  of  Chicago 


BAPTISTS  AND  EDUCATION 


Religion  and  education  are  natural  allies.  If 
they  have  not  always  been  associated  together 
that  has  been  due  to  a  false  conception  either  of 
religion  or  of  education.  If  religion  be  thought 
of  as  a  means  of  appeasing  the  wrath  of  a  hostile 
deity,  or  of  escaping  from  this  life  into  a  blissful 
state  after  death,  and  if  education  be  conceived  of 
simply  as  the  prerequisite  to  political  office,  or  as 
training  for  some  other  gainful  occupation,  then, 
indeed,  religion  and  education  have  little  to  do 
with  one  another.  But  when  religion  is  thought 
of  as  the  adjustment  of  the  individual  to  the  to- 
tality of  the  world  in  which  he  lives,  especially  to 
the  Supreme  Factor  in  that  world,  and  education 
as  the  discipline  of  all  one's  native  powers  to  meet 
the  opportunities  and  responsibilities  of  life,  it  is 
inevitable  that  they  should  be  felt  to  be  intimately 
related  to  one  another. 

In  Christianity  above  all  other  religions,  and, 
broadly  speaking,  in  modern  Protestantism  above 
all  less  democratic  forms  of  Christianity,  these 
conceptions  of  religion  and  education  have  pre- 
vailed, and  the  church  has  in  consequence  con- 

189 


190     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

cerned  itself  with  education.  Wherever  Jesus'  es- 
timate of  the  value  of  human  personality  has  pre- 
vailed, and  his  thought  of  the  possibility  of  a 
human  life  lived  in  harmony  and  cooperation 
with  the  Supreme  Mind  and  Will  has  gained  ac- 
ceptance, and  in  proportion  as  they  have  domi- 
nated the  thought  of  the  church,  education  has 
gone  hand  in  hand  with  religion. 

Nowhere,  perhaps,  has  this  ideal  relation  been 
more  fully  realized  than  in  American  Chris- 
tianity. The  founders  of  this  nation  were  pre- 
dominantly men  who'believed  in  religion,  and  that 
too  a  religion  not  of  sacramentalism,  but  of  con- 
scious and  intelligent  relation  to  an  intelligent 
Creator,  and  of  deliberately  determined  moral  re- 
lation to  one's  fellow  men.  Such  a  religion  de- 
mands intelligence  and  education,  and  by  the  side 
of  their  houses  of  worship  our  fathers  built  their 
schools. 

In  this  interest  in  education  our  Baptist  fathers 
shared,  and  especially  in  the  last  century  of  our 
history  continuous  efforts  have  been  made  to  de- 
velop schools  which  should  make  our  denomina- 
tional contribution  to  the  educational  forces  of  the 
country,  and  prepare  our  youth  to  fill  their  place 
in  the  church,  the  nation,  and  the  world. 

Roughly  speaking,  the  history  of  educational 
movements  among  the  Baptists  of  the  United 
States,  since  the  founding  of  our  first  college,  falls 
into  three  periods  of  half  a  century  each. 


BAPTISTS    AND    EDUCATION  I9I 

In  1764,  as  the  outcome  of  a  movement  that 
arose  in  the  Philadelphia  Baptist  Association, 
then  the  principal  organization  of  Baptists  in  the 
colonies,  the  College  of  Rhode  Island,  now  for 
long  known  as  Brown  University,  was  founded. 

In  1 8 14,  after  a  lapse  of  a  half  century,  which 
seems  to  have  been  almost  without  notable  event 
in  our  educational  history,  the  Boston  Baptist 
Association  formed  what  a  few  years  later  became 
the  Northern  Baptist  Education  Society.  In  the 
same  year  the  Convention  of  Baptists  which  met 
in  Philadelphia  to  consider  the  formation  of  a 
missionary  society,  issued  an  address  to  the  Bap- 
tists of  the  United  States  in  which  education  was 
one  of  the  topics  discussed.  In  this  same  year, 
1814,  also  the  Baptist  Education  Society  of  the 
Middle  States,  founded  in  1812,  enlarged  its 
scope  and  became  the  Baptist  Education  Society 
of  the  United  States  of  America. 

When  in  18 17  the  first  triennial  meeting  of  the 
Baptist  General  Convention  was  held  in  Philadel- 
phia, its  president,  Dr.  Richard  Furman,  brought 
forward  a  "  Plan  of  Education,"  as  a  result  of 
which  education  was  included  in  the  sphere  of  the 
Convention's  work,  and  the  Baptists  of  the  United 
States  were  definitely  committed  to  an  educa- 
tional program. 

Time  would  altogether  fail  me  to  show  the  de- 
velopment of  this  movement,  or  how  out  of  it 
there  sprang  both  in  the  East  and  in  the  West  col- 


192     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

leges  and  theological  schools.  A  glance  at  the 
list  of  the  schools  founded  in  the  Northern  States, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  South,  in  the  next  fifty  years 
is  sufficient  to  show  the  activity  of  the  denomina- 
tion in  that  direction.  Colby,  which  had  been 
chartered  in  1813  as  the  Maine  Literary  and 
Theological  Institution,  opened  its  theological 
department  in  18 19,  and  obtained  the  right  to 
confer  college  degrees  in  1820.  In  18 17  "  The 
Baptist  Educational  Society  of  the  State  of  New 
York "  was  organized,  and  out  of  it  grew,  in 
1820,  Hamilton  Literary  and  Theological  Institu- 
tion, of  which  Hamilton  Theological  Seminary 
and  Colgate  University  are  the  living  successors. 
Columbian  College  was  founded  in  Washington 
in  1 82 1,  Newton  Theological  Institution  in  1826, 
Denison  in  183 1,  Franklin  in  1834,  Shurtleff  in 
1835,  Bucknell  in  1846,  William  Jewell  in  1849, 
Rochester  University  and  Rochester  Seminary  in 
1850,  Central  University  of  Iowa  at  Pella  in  1853, 
Kalamazoo  (chartered  as  an  academy  in  1833) 
in  1855,  McMinnville  in  1857,  the  old  University 
of  Chicago  in  1859,  Des  Moines  in  1865. 

The  last  half  century,  beginning  in  1867,  has 
been  characterized  by  the  foundation  of  new 
schools,  and  great  increase  both  in  the  total  num- 
ber of  students  going  from  our  churches  to  col- 
lege and  in  the  ratio  of  college  students  to  church- 
membership.  But  that  which  marks  it  off  most 
notably  from  the  previous  periods  is  a  series  of 


BAPTISTS   AND   EDUCATION  1 93 

efforts  to  organize  and  nationalize  the  work  of 
the  denomination  in  the  promotion  of  education. 

Among  the  schools  established  are,  of  theo- 
logical seminaries,  Chicago,  Crozer,  Berkeley, 
Kansas  City ;  of  colleges  and  universities,  Ottawa 
in  Kansas,  the  new  University  of  Chicago,  and 
Frances  Shimer'  in  Illinois,  Redlands  in  Califor- 
nia, Sioux  Falls  in  South  Dakota,  Grand  Island 
in  Nebraska,  and  Colorado  Woman's  College  in 
Denver.  Besides  this,  missionary  training-schools 
have  been  established  in  Philadelphia  and  Chi- 
cago, the  two  colleges  of  Iowa — Des  Moines  and 
Central — have  been  practically  merged  in  the 
new  Union  College  of  Iowa,  and  by  the  union 
between  Baptists  and  Free  Baptists  we  have 
acquired  Bates  College  in  Maine  and  Hillsdale 
College  in  Michigan.  Of  academies  the  list  is 
too  long  to  be  enumerated  here.  Nor  is  there 
space  to  speak  of  the  educational  work  of  the 
Home  Mission  Society  for  Negroes  and  Indians, 
or  of  that  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Society  in  the 
Orient. 

Accurate  statistics  as  to  the  number  of  students 
going  to  college  from  Baptist  churches  or  Bap- 
tist families  are  difficult,  indeed  impossible,  to  ob- 
tain. But  there  is  an  interesting  ratio  between 
such  figures  as  we  possess.  In  1868,  Dr.  S.  S. 
Cutting  estimated  on  the  basis  of  somewhat  ac- 
curate reports  that  in  the  State  of  New  York 
there  was  one  Baptist  student  in  college  for  each 


194     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

seven  hundred  members  in  Baptist  churches,  and 
added  that  this  was  the  highest  ratio  prevaiHng 
in  any  of  our  churches  outside  of  New  England. 
It  was  probably  therefore  considerably  above  the 
average.  The  latest  statistics  that  we  possess, 
gathered  some  five  years  ago,  indicate  that  the 
present  ratio  in  the  Northern  States  is  about  one 
college  student  to  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
church-members,  just  four  times  the  ratio  in  New 
York  in  1867. 

Definite  efforts  for  the  creation  of  a  national 
Baptist  organization  for  the  promotion  of  educa- 
tion date  from  the  year  1867,  the  same  year  in 
which  the  Memorial  Baptist  Church  was  founded 
in  Philadelphia,  the  city  which  more  than  any 
other  in  the  country  has  been  associated  with 
movements  for  the  promotion  of  organized  edu- 
cation among  the  Baptists  of  the  country.  In 
October  of  that  year,  at  the  meeting  of  the  New 
York  Baptist  State  Convention,  Rev.  Dr.  S.  S. 
Cutting  read  a  paper  which  made  so  deep  an  im- 
pression upon  those  present  that  they  proceeded 
to  organize  the  "  Baptist  Educational  Commis- 
sion," the  object  of  which  was,  as  Article  I  of  the 
constitution  states,  "  the  promotion,  within  the 
field  of  its  operations,  of  education  and  the  in- 
crease of  the  ministry  in  the  Baptist  denomina- 
tion." The  organization  was  definitely  intended 
to  be  provisional,  December  31,  1872,  being 
named  in  the  constitution  as  the  limit  of  its  life, 


EDWARD  BAGBY  POLLARD 

Stated  Supply.  1906 


BAPTISTS    AND    EDUCATION  195 

but  undoubtedly  also  as  a  stepping-stone  to  some- 
thing permanent.  In  May,  1872,  there  met  in 
Philadelphia  a  National  Baptist  Educational  Con- 
vention, summoned  by  the  commission  above  re- 
ferred to,  which  proceeded  to  organize  the 
*'  American  Baptist  Educational  Commission,"  a 
body  intended  to  be  permanent  and  to  discharge 
the  functions  of  a  Board  of  Education  for  the 
whole  Baptist  denomination  of  the  United  States, 
North  and  South.  Into  the  reasons  for  its  failure 
to  achieve  and  hold  the  position  it  was  intended 
to  occupy  it  is  impossible  here  to  enter.  But  fif- 
teen years  later,  in  1887,  it  had  so  far  ceased  to  be 
effective  that  when  in  that  year  steps  were  taken 
in  the  annual  meeting  of  the  American  Baptist 
Home  Mission  Society  to  organize  a  denomina- 
tional education  society,  no  mention  was  made  of 
the  former  organization. 

At  Washington,  in  May,  1888,  in  an  enthu- 
siastic meeting  of  delegates  from  North  and 
South,  summoned  in  pursuance  of  the  action  of 
May,  1887,  the  American  Baptist  Education  So- 
ciety was  organized.  Under  Dr.  Henry  L.  More- 
house, to  whose  broad  vision  and  ceaseless  ac- 
tivity more  than  to  any  other  one  person  the 
Society  owed  its  existence,  and  under  Mr.  Fred 
T.  Gates,  corresponding  secretary  from  1888  to 
1893,  the  new  organization  did  a  notable  work. 
In  the  fifteen  years  of  its  activity  the  number  of 
schools  under  Baptist  auspices  increased,  accord- 


196     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

ing  to  the  testimony  of  Dr.  Frank  W.  Padelford, 
the  present  secretary  of  the  Society,  from  128  to 
214;  the  number  of  students  from  17,721  to 
47,443 ;  the  teachers  from  968  to  2,938 ;  the  value 
of  the  property  from  $9,188,096  to  $24,953,148; 
endowments  from  $8,763,385  to  $24,192,965. 
The  most  conspicuous,  but  by  no  means  the  only 
notable,  achievement  of  the  Society  was  the 
founding,  in  1891,  of  the  new  University  of  Chi- 
cago, to  replace  the  one  which  had  closed  its  doors 
in  1886.  But  the  fate  that  had  overtaken  the  com- 
mission of  1872  pursued  also  the  effort  of  1888. 
and  .^fter  a  few  years  of  vigorous  life  the  Ameri- 
can Baptist  Education  Society,  though  continu- 
ing to  exist  legally,  ceased  to  be  active. 

But  the  consciousness  of  the  need  of  an  organi- 
zation through  which  the  denomination  as  rep- 
resented in  the  Northern  Baptist  Convention 
might  express  its  belief  in  education  and  become 
effective  in  the  promotion  of  it,  remained  and  de- 
manded expression.  A  resolution  passed  by  the 
Convention  at  Portland,  Oregon,  in  1909,  led  to 
the  creation  in  19 10  of  the  Board  of  Education  of 
the  Northern  Baptist  Convention. 

Into  the  work  of  that  Board  or  the  agreement 
made  with  the  American  Baptist  Education  So- 
ciety, by  which  the  two  organizations,  though 
separate  legally,  are  in  effect  one  in  activity,  it  is 
not  my  thought  now  to  enter.  The  future  claims 
our  chief  attention.    Let  us  pause  before  turning 


BAPTISTS    AND   EDUCATION  I97 

to  it  only  long  enough  to  consider  where  we  stand 
at  the  end  of  three  half  centuries  since  the  found- 
ing of  our  oldest  existing  educational  institution. 

In  the  first  place  we  are  not  in  urgent  need  of 
more  educational  institutions.  Of  universities, 
colleges,  theological  seminaries,  and  of  academies 
we  have  enough  for  our  present  needs  and  for  the 
demands  of  the  immediate  future  as  far  as  we  can 
now  foresee  what  these  will  be. 

In  the  development  of  these  institutions  also  we 
have  made  encouraging  progress.  But  our 
achievements  leave  us  with  our  goal  still  far  in 
the  distance.  Our  schools  are  to  be  found  from 
Maine  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  in  almost  every 
instance  occupy  strategic  positions.  Among  them 
are  some  that  stand  high  among  schools  of  their 
class.  But  by  no  means  all  of  them  have  reached 
that  measure  of  efficiency  which  can  justify  us  in 
sitting  down  in  complacency  to  admire  them  and 
felicitate  ourselves  on  their  possession.  Aside 
from  the  fact  that  any  live  institution  must  always 
be  growing,  we  have  both  in  the  East  and  in  the 
West  colleges  and  academies  that  fall  so  far  short 
of  possessing  the  equipment  and  faculty  neces- 
sary to  the  maintenance  of  an  institution  of  the 
first  rank  as  to  call  for  immediate  eflforts  to  in- 
crease their  resources. 

But  it  is  in  respect  to  our  interest  in  education 
as  expressed  in  the  number  of  our  youth  that  go 
to  college  that  we  are  perhaps  most  manifestly 
0 


198     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

falling  short  of  our  duty.  Its  college  graduates 
are  not  the  only  members  of  a  denomination  that 
give  it  power  and  efficiency.  Far  from  it.  But 
the  number  of  its  youth  that  a  denomination  sends 
to  college  is  one  of  the  indices  by  which  its  present 
efficiency  may  be  measured,  and  especially  its 
future  be  forecast.  And  tried  by  this  standard  the 
Baptist  denomination  is  far  from  having  at- 
tained. To  have  multiplied  by  four  the  propor- 
tion of  our  youth  that  go  to  college,  though  this 
perhaps  means  only  a  doubling  of  the  ratio  of 
young  men  in  college  to  our  membership,  is  an 
indication  of  gratifying  progress.  But  it  is  not  an 
achievement  to  be  satisfied  with.  The  Congrega- 
tionalists  and  the  Presbyterians  each  send  just 
about  two  and  a  half  times  as  many  young  peo- 
ple to  college  as  do  we  Baptists  of  the  Northern 
States,  and  there  is  little  reason  to  think  that  they 
are  doing  too  much  for  the  education  of  their 
youth. 

But  such  general  statements  as  these,  which 
might  be  uttered  in  almost  any  year  of  our  his- 
tory, are  inadequate,  if  not  positively  inappro- 
priate in  such  a  year  as  this.  For  we  have  come 
to  a  unique  period  in  the  world's  history,  and  this 
fact  can  but  be  significant  for  us  as  a  denomina- 
tion, nor  fail  to  have  an  imj)ortant  bearing  on  our 
program  of  education.  The  wo  of  our  Master, 
and  of  the  God  of  history,  falls  on  those  who  can- 
not interpret  their  own  time.     It  is  reported  that 


BAPTISTS    AND    EDUCATION  1 99 

Petropoff,  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  under  the 
late  Czar  of  Russia,  when  retiring  from  office 
said,  "  Apparently  I  have  committed  the  unpar- 
donable crime  of  not  understanding  the  spirit  of 
my  age."  He  was  right.  This  is  an  unpardon- 
able crime,  because  a  fatal  defect,  in  any  states- 
man. Not  less  is  it  an  unpardonable  fault  in  a 
religious  denomination  not  to  understand  the  facts 
of  its  own  age,  of  which  its  spirit  is  one,  but  by 
no  means  the  only,  factor  of  importance.  To  this 
aspect  of  the  matter  then  let  us  turn  our  thought. 

The  United  States  has  entered  upon  a  new 
period  of  her  history.  It  will  enter  upon  another 
when  the  present  world-wide  war  is  over.  The 
end  of  the  Civil  War  marked  the  beginning  of 
a  new  era  in  our  history.  It  unified  the  peo- 
ple as  never  before,  settling  it  forever  that  the 
States  of  the  Union  are  a  nation,  not  simply  a 
federation  to  be  dissolved  at  will.  But  the  pres- 
ent war  will  make  an  even  greater  difference  to 
us  as  a  nation  than  did  the  war  of  the  sixties. 
The  world  is  hereafter  to  be  one  as  never  before, 
and  our  problems  as  a  nation  are  to  be  problems 
of  a  world  horizon.  Whether  we  desire  it  or  not, 
we  shall  be  compelled  to  deal  with  world-wide 
questions  and  grapple  with  tasks  of  world-wide 
import.  The  affairs  of  the  world  are  to  be,  literally 
and  strictly,  our  affairs.  We  may  wish  it  other- 
wise, but  we  cannot  make  it  so.  World-wide 
business,  world-wide  travel,  steamships,  airships, 


200     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

submarine  cables  and  submarine  boats — and  we 
have  had  our  part  in  creating  all  these — yes,  and 
the  very  universalism  of  the  Christian  religion, 
of  which  more  than  any  other  nations  England 
and  America  have  been  the  advocates  and  expo- 
nents, have  created  a  new  world  in  which  the 
separateness  of  a  nation  like  ours  from  the  woes 
and  sorrows,  the  struggles  and  wars,  of  other 
nations  is  no  longer  possible. 

In  this  new  era  we  must  be  a  new  nation.  Gone 
forever  are  the  days  of  our  childhood  and  youth. 
Gone  forever  are  the  days  of  our  national  isola- 
tion. We  have  been  thrust  out,  like  a  youth  from 
the  shelter  of  a  father's  home,  into  the  world  full 
of  responsibilities  and  tasks.  We  shall  never  go 
back.  The  clock  of  history  never  moves  back- 
ward. 

The  new  era  will  bring  with  it  new  ideas  and 
new  watchwords.  We  shall  not  do  less  business 
than  before ;  we  shall  do  more.  But  ''  business  " 
ought  never  again  to  be  the  great  word  that  it 
has  been  in  our  national  vocabulary.  "  Coun- 
try "  is  taking  its  place,  and  words  of  world-wide 
horizon  will  more  and  more  thrust  themselves 
into  the  foreground  and  claim  for  themselves  the 
bold-face  type  in  our  newspapers  and  in  our 
thoughts. 

Consider  for  a  moment  some  of  the  questions 
that  are  already  confronting  us  and  demanding 
immediate  attention  and  early  solution.    What  is 


BAPTISTS    AND   EDUCATION  201 

to  be  our  relation  to  the  states  of  Latin  America, 
from  Mexico  southward  to  Brazil  and  Argen- 
tina ?  Is  the  Monroe  Doctrine  to  be  maintained, 
and  if  so,  according  to  which  of  its  various  defini- 
tions ?  If  it  has  been  swept  away  in  the  swelling 
flood  of  war,  what  is  to  take  its  place?  Is  the 
United  States  to  be  in  any  sense  the  friend  and 
protector  of  these  states,  or  of  any  of  them,  or 
are  all  the  states  of  the  Western  Continent  hence- 
forth to  stand  on  an  equal  footing,  with  no 
priority  or  seniority  of  one  as  against  another? 
What  is  to  be  our  final  policy,  when  we  reach  one, 
toward  Mexico  ?  And  what  is  to  be  our  place  in 
the  far  East  ?  Shall  we  exclude  it  from  our  sphere 
of  action  as  if  it  were  in  Mars  or  Jupiter?  Or 
recognizing  that  it  is  impossible  thus  to  fly  in  the 
face  of  facts,  shall  we  concede  that  in  China's 
present  state  of  transition  and  weakness  she  needs 
a  friend  among  the  nations,  and  assuming  for 
ourselves  that  oflice,  shall  we  make  ourselves  the 
champion  of  China  against  any  possible  aggres- 
sion of  other  nations  of  East  or  West?  Or  shall 
we  recognize  that  such  an  oflice  falls  rather  by 
virtue  of  proximity  and  consanguinity  to  Japan, 
and  conceding  this  to  Japan,  shall  we  exercise  the 
right  we  seem  recently  to  have  gained  to  maintain 
a.  friendly  supervision  over  her  guardianship? 
And  shall  we  find  in  such  responsibility  a  new 
reason  for  being  so  scrupulously  just  and  friendly 
to  Japan  that  we  shall  always  retain  her  confi- 


202     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

dence  and  friendship,  and  so  be  able  to  render  to 
China  also  our  largest  possible  service  ? 

I  raise  these  questions  not  to  answer  or  even  to 
discuss  them,  but  only  to  emphasize  the  fact  that 
isolation  is  for  us  henceforth  an  impossibility,  and 
that  the  problems  that  are  henceforth  to  be  ours, 
whether  we  desire  it  or  not,  cannot  be  solved  by 
any  vacillating  hand-to-mouth,  month-by-month 
policy,  but  must  be  met  by  well-considered,  de- 
liberately maintained  action,  ever  adapted  to  new 
situations,  but  never  varying  in  its  broad  outlook 
or  its  fundamental  principles. 

Now  all  this  has  an  important  bearing  on  the 
problems  of  education.  For  it  signifies  that  as  a 
nation  we  must  become,  to  a  much  greater  extent 
than  ever  before,  students  of  history,  and  of  social 
and  political  science.  Not,  let  me  hasten  to  say, 
to  the  exclusion  of  any  other  worthy  subject  of 
study.  This  is  no  time  for  narrowness  of  intel- 
lectual horizon.  One  thing  that  has  contributed 
greatly  to  the  strength  of  Germany  in  this  war 
is  the  fact  that  for  fifty  years  at  least  she  has 
studied  everything;  specialized  in  a  sense,  but 
specialized  in  every  possible  field  of  knowledge, 
with  the  result  of  having  in  her  own  nation  the 
ability  to  deal  promptly  and  effectively  with  any 
problem  that  might  arise.  And  the  greatest  ele- 
ment of  weakness  in  some,  if  not  all  of  her  oppo- 
nents, has  been  precisely  the  one-sidedness  of  their 
education — the    scorn    or   the   neglect   of   some 


BAPTISTS    AND    EDUCATION  203 

branch  of  knowledge  which  suddenly  proved 
utterly  necessary  to  the  achievement  of  their 
purpose.  There  is  no  field  of  knowledge  that  we 
can  afford  to  neglect.  Never  was  the  wisdom  of 
the  maxim  Nihil  hiimanum  niihi  alienum  more 
evident  than  it  is  to-day,  or  more  necessary  to  be 
adopted  by  our  nation.  We  must  take  all  knowl- 
edge for  our  field,  and  prosecute  our  studies  in 
every  department  with  vigor  and  persistence. 

But  this  does  not  alter,  in  a  way  it  only  empha- 
sizes, the  necessity  of  the  study  of  history  and  of 
the  sciences  that  have  sprung  in  recent  years  from 
history.  For  history  is  the  great  teacher  of  man- 
kind. All  that  we  know,  all  the  wisdom  we  have 
inherited  or  acquired,  the  race  has  learned  from 
history,  if  history  be  broadly  and  justly  defined. 
History,  in  its  broadest  sense,  must  become  not 
the  diversion  or  the  profession  of  a  few  college 
instructors,  but  the  serious  study  of  the  American 
nation.  In  this,  as  in  all  other  enterprises,  we 
must  have  leaders.  But  there  must  be  multitudes 
who  are  intelligent  enough  to  understand  the 
policies  of  the  leaders,  and  to  follow  them  or  criti- 
cize them,  not  with  ignorant  partisanship,  but  on 
the  basis  of  real  knowledge  of  their  own. 

But  again  moral  principles  must  be  more 
clearly  apprehended  and  more  firmly  held  than 
ever  before.  The  great  questions  that  our  nation 
will  have  to  face  in  the  coming  years  will  be  moral 
questions.     That  conduct  is  three-fourths  of  life 


204     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

is  as  true  of  a  nation  as  of  an  individual,  and  all 
national  conduct  is  moral.  I  have  spoken  of  the 
strength  of  Germany's  education.  Its  awful  vice, 
that  to  which  more  than  to  any  other  cause  the 
world  owes  the  infinite  loss  and  suffering  of  this 
war,  is  the  falsity  of  its  moral  ideals.  Slowly, 
almost  unobserved  by  the  world,  by  a  process  of 
education  that  affected  the  nation  from  peasant 
to  emperor,  and  stamped  itself  on  each  rising 
generation,  Germany  became  thoroughly  infected 
by  the  doctrine  that  power  is  right,  that  the  State 
can  do  no  wrong,  that  a  nation  owes  no  allegiance 
to  those  principles  that  rightly  prevail  between  in- 
dividuals. If  the  world  is  to  be  safe  for  human- 
ity, not  to  say  for  democracy,  the  nations  of  the 
world  must  learn — we  as  a  nation  must  learn — 
that  there  cannot  be  one  morality  for  individuals 
and  another  for  nations,  that  it  is  more  necessary 
that  the  Golden  Rule  be  observed  by  groups  and 
nations  than  by  individuals,  because  the  results  of 
its  violation  are  disastrous  in  proportion  to  the 
magnitude  of  the  bodies  disregarding  it.  If  we 
as  a  nation  are  to  contribute  not  to  a  fresh  world- 
disaster,  but  to  the  future  welfare  of  the  race,  we 
must  found  our  national  policy  on  the  principles 
of  Jesus,  on  the  Golden  Rule  he  gave  for  all. 

But  the  new  world  will  need  religion  also,  and 
spiritual  leadership.  The  war  has  created  faith, 
but  it  has  also  destroyed  it.  It  must  be  rekindled 
where  it  has  gone  out,  purified  where  it  has  be- 


BAPTISTS    AND    EDUCATION  205 

come  corrupt  and  unintelligent.  A  world  with- 
out faith  will  be  a  world  without  hope,  a  world 
with  a  false  faith  will  be  a  world  of  false  morals. 
Never  in  the  history  of  our  nation,  perhaps 
never  in  the  history  of  the  world,  was  there  such 
a  need  of  spiritual  leaders,  men  with  a  knowledge 
of  history  and  present-day  conditions,  men  also  of 
vision  and  unshakable  faith  in  the  eternal  God. 
Loud  is  the  call  for  the  Christian  prophet,  but  for 
the  prophet  whose  enthusiasm  is  founded  on 
knowledge,  whose  faith  rests  on  the  rock  of  fact. 

Such  a  situation  cannot  be  met  by  mere  intel- 
lectualism,  however  keen.  But  neither  can  it  be 
dealt  with  by  an  enthusiasm  that  is  ignorant  of 
the  great  teachings  of  history.  It  calls  for  educa- 
tion broad  in  its  historical  basis  and  outlook,  per- 
meated with  moral  ideals  and  religious  faith,  and 
fitted  to  prepare  men  and  women  for  great  tasks 
in  a  real  world.  It  calls  for  the  services  of  the 
best  minds  the  nation  possesses  to  define  and  or- 
ganize such  education.  Education  made  Ger- 
many the  efificient  foe  of  the  world  and  her  own 
worst  enemy.  A  better  education  must  make 
America  strong  in  her  own  defense,  the  ef^cient 
friend  of  all  nations. 

But  if  we  need  a  better  education,  so  also  do  we 
need  more  of  it.  In  a  democracy  every  ignorant 
member  is  an  element  of  danger.  It  can  escape 
disaster  only  when  that  element  does  not  exceed 
the  margin  of  safety.     That  margin  is  narrowed 


206     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

by  every  increase  in  the  magnitude  and  serious- 
ness of  the  problems  that  confront  the  nation. 
Russia  has  furnished  us  of  late  a  terrible  illustra- 
tion of  what  happens  to  a  democracy  in  which 
noble  aspirations  are  defeated  by  wide-spread 
ignorance  of  the  elementary  principles  of  eco- 
nomics and  government.  The  weakness  of  that 
other  giant,  China,  is  the  result  of  two  causes — a 
sad  dearth  of  great  men,  and  a  lack  of  general 
education.  America  is  far  in  advance  of  both 
Russia  and  China,  but  she  is  far  behind  the  de- 
mands of  the  hour.  More  great  men,  fitted  by 
character,  knowledge,  and  training  to  be  leaders 
of  the  people,  more  of  the  people  educated  to  fol- 
low intelligently,  resolutely,  courageously — these 
alone  can  fit  America  to  fill  her  place  in  the  new 
age  of  the  world. 

What,  then,  does  this  signify  to  the  Baptist 
denomination  ?  This  chiefly  and  inclusively,  that 
following  the  precedent  set  for  us  by  President 
Furman  a  century  ago  here  in  Philadelphia,  we 
shall  definitely  and  determinedly  include  a  "  plan 
of  education  ''  in  our  denominational  policy.  On 
the  one  hand  we  must  educate  ourselves  in  refer- 
ence to  education.  We  must  create  a  recognition 
of  its  necessity  that  will  make  parents  and  pastors 
propagandists  in  its  behalf,  and  an  appetite  for 
it  that  will  impel  multitudes  of  our  youth  to  pre- 
pare themselves  for  the  responsibilities  of  life. 
On   the   other   hand,    we   must   strengthen   our 


BAPTISTS    AND    EDUCATION  20/ 

schools,  providing  them  with  the  equipment  and 
facuhy  that  are  necessary  to  the  highest  efficiency. 
I  plead  not  for  luxuries,  rather  for  Spartan  sim- 
plicity and  more  than  Spartan  efficiency. 

These  achievements  are  vital  to  our  life  as  a 
denomination.  Religion  and  education  must  go 
hand  in  hand.  The  divorce  of  them  is  fatal  to 
both.  Only  as  they  are  united  shall  we  have  com- 
petent spiritual  leadership  or  intelligent  follow- 
ing. Without  such  union  we  can  neither  develop 
the  life  of  our  own  churches  nor  effectively  prose- 
cute the  work  of  world  evangelization,  nor  fur- 
nish the  statesmen  which  equally  with  other  de- 
nominations we  must  contribute  to  the  service  of 
our  country. 

Moreover,  our  twofold  task  we  must  undertake 
as  a  task  of  the  whole  denomination.  This  has 
always  been  the  weakest  point  in  our  educational 
work.  Though  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago 
Brown  University  was  established  not  as  a  local 
institution,  but  by  the  combined  efforts  of  the 
Baptists  of  all  the  colonies,  the  initial  step  being 
taken  in  the  Philadelphia  Association,  and  Geor- 
gia next  to  Rhode  Island  making  the  largest  con- 
tribution; though  a  hundred  years  ago  Doctor 
Furman  presented  a  "  Plan  of  Education  "  to  the 
denomination  as  a  whole,  though  three  times  in 
the  last  fifty  years  the  effort  has  been  made  to 
create  an  educational  organization  that  would 
represent  the  Baptists  either  of  the  whole  coun- 


208     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

try  or  of  the  whole  North,  though  good  results 
have  been  achieved  by  each  of  these  efforts,  two 
of  them  have  failed  of  permanence,  the  third  is 
still  on  trial,  and  education  is  still  with  us  in  large 
part  a  local  affair.  This  ought  not  to  be.  It 
must  not  continue  to  be  if  we  are  to  meet  the  full 
measure  of  our  responsibility. 

As  Americans  our  patriotism  has  become  na- 
tional— the  war  of  the  sixties  settled  that  forever. 
We  are  destined  to  make  it  international,  not  in 
the  sense  that  it  will  cease  to  be  national,  but  that 
we  shall  make  the  Golden  Rule  the  basis  of  inter- 
national relationships.  As  Baptists  we  have  con- 
ducted the  work  of  home  missions  with  a  conti- 
nental horizon,  and  with  a  home  base  coextensive 
with  the  area  of  the  Northern  Baptist  Convention. 
In  foreign  missions  from  the  same  home  base  we 
have  extended  our  vision  to  all  the  lands  of  the 
earth.  But  in  education,  except  as  it  has  been  an 
incident  of  home  or  foreign  missions,  we  have 
bounded  our  vision  for  the  most  part  by  States  or 
small  groups  of  States. 

The  Board  of  Education  of  the  Northern  Bap- 
tist Convention  has  insisted  that  every  institution 
must  appeal  to  the  local  constituency  first,  and 
every  region  has  responded  loyally  to  the  demand. 
There  is  no  occasion  to  fear  that  the  West  will 
seek  to  shift  its  share  of  the  burden  to  the  shoul- 
ders of  the  East.  Our  Western  colleges  are  being 
endowed  by  gifts  of  prairie  farmers  of  scanty 


BAPTISTS    AND   EDUCATION  209 

income  and  meager  accumulation.  In  days  past 
the  men  of  the  East  have  by  their  activity  in  home 
missions  created  bonds  stronger  than  steel  be- 
tween East  and  West.  The  time  has  come  when 
it  should  be  done  in  education.  We  are  one  de- 
nomination East  and  West,  with  constant  inter- 
change of  ministers  and  lay  members.  We  can- 
not do  our  work  effectively  without  high  ideals 
of  education  and  strong  institutions  in  all  parts 
of  our  land.  If  we  would  build  for  the  future  we 
must  take  not  a  narrow  State-wide  vision  of  our 
duty,  but  a  vision  from  sea  to  sea,  from  the  coasts 
to  the  mountains. 

Nor  is  this  a  task  that  can  be  postponed. 
Whatever  the  war  may  demand  of  us  by  way  of 
taxation  or  in  gifts  to  the  great  cooperative  relief 
agencies,  we  must  face  the  fact  that  at  the  end  of 
the  war  the  need  of  education  will  be  greater  than 
ever.  We  fight  to  create  a  new  world.  We  must 
give  to  make  the  men  who  will  build  that  new 
world.  War  destroys — God  grant  this  war  may 
destroy  war  itself — ^but  to  all  the  destructive  work 
of  war,  necessary  though  it  be,  we  must  add  con- 
struction, and  for  that  work  we  shall  need  an 
army  of  educated  Christian  men  and  women.  As 
we  prize  the  future  of  the  church,  the  future  of 
the  nation,  the  future  of  the  world,  now  more  than 
ever  before  we  work  and  give  and  pray  for  the 
cause  of  Christian  education. 


CHRISTIANS  AND  CHURCH 
MEMBERSHIP 

CURTIS  LEE  LAWS,  D.  D. 

Editor,  The  Watchman-Examiner 


CHRISTIANS  AND  CHURCH- 
MEMBERSHIP 


There    are    two    senses    in    which    the    word 
"  church  "  is  used  in  the  New  Testament. 

It  is  used  to  represent  the  whole  body  of  be- 
lievers in  Christ  from  the  day  of  Pentecost  to  the 
end  of  the  dispensation.  Dr.  Henry  G.  Weston 
says :  ''  In  this  sense  the  church  is  a  body  of  peo- 
ple called  out  from  the  world  and  composed  of 
those  to  whom  Christ  is  revealed  by  the  Father. 
This  church  shall  not  be  dissolved  by  death,  and 
the  gates  of  Hades  shall  not  prevail  against  it. 
The  members  of  this  church  are  given  to  Christ 
by  the  Father;  they  are  gathered  out  of  all  na- 
tions; they  are  regenerated  and  sanctified  by  the 
truth,  and  this  church  shall  be  presented  at  the. 
last  without  spot  or  blemish.  It  differs  radically 
and  generically  from  all  other  organizations;  its 
principle  of  union  is  unknown  to  them ;  it  recog- 
nizes none  of  their  divisions  or  distinctions.  In  it 
all  national  peculiarities,  all  diversities  of  birth^ 
culture,  social  position,  or  possessions  are  swal- 
lowed up.  It  is  not  a  development  of  the  moral,, 
religious,  or  social  nature  of  man ;  it  is  not  a  prod- 
uct of  the  human  intellect;  it  is  not  a  school  of 
opinion,  nor  a  voluntary  association  of  persons  of 
p  213 


214     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

similar  tastes  or  pursuits.  It  is  a  supernatural  and 
vital  union,  a  new  creation,  a  divine  organism." 

The  word  *'  church  "  is  also  used  to  describe 
a  body  of  professed  believers  in  Christ,  who  have 
been  baptized  upon  a  credible  confession  of  their 
faith  in  him,  and  who  have  associated  themselves 
together  for  worship  and  for  work  and  for  fel- 
lowship. 

It  is  with  this  last  conception  of  the  church  that 
we  are  to  deal  this  morning. 

Who  should  be  church-members f 

Let  us  consider  first  of  all  the  character  of 
those  who  constitute  the  membership  of  a  local 
church  of  the  New  Testament  pattern.  The  teach- 
ing of  the  New  Testament  is  explicit  on  this  sub- 
ject. Without  controversy  we  all  agree  that  the 
New  Testament  teaches  that  a  church  should  be 
composed  of  those  who  have  accepted  Jesus 
Christ  as  Saviour  and  King,  and  who  have  openly 
confessed  their  faith  in  him  and  their  allegiance 
to  his  cause.  Such  people  are  called  ''  Chris- 
tians." 

There  is  no  more  majestic  word  in  our  lan- 
guage than  the  word  "  Christian."  It  has  come 
to  be  the  word  which  suggests  all  that  is  noblest 
in  our  civilization;  all  that  is  noblest  in  history, 
philosophy,  literature,  art,  heroism,  and  character. 
It  is  the  highest  ambition  of  the  noblest  people  of 
our  day  to  be  worthy  to  be  called  by  that  honor- 


CHRISTIANS  AND  CHURCH-MEMBERSHIP     2 1 5 

able  name.  This  word,  so  familiar  and  common- 
place to  us,  occurs  but  three  times  in  the  New 
Testament. 

In  the  city  of  Antioch,  some  ten  years  after  the 
resurrection  of  our  Lord,  the  disciples  were  first 
called  "  Christians."  They  did  not  themselves  as- 
sume the  name,  for  they  called  themselves  "  be- 
lievers," "  disciples,"  "  followers,"  "  saints,"  and 
*'  those  of  the  way."  Nor  was  the  name  given  to 
them  by  the  Jews,  for  that  would  have  been  an 
acknowledgment  upon  the  part  of  the  Jews  that 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  whom  they  had  crucified,  was 
really  the  Christ  or  the  Messiah.  The  Jews  called 
the  new  sect  **  Galileans,"  "  Nazarenes,"  and 
"  heretics."  It  remained  for  the  people  of  An- 
tioch, heathen  though  they  were,  to  furnish  us  our 
name,  the  name  in  which  we  now  so  delight.  It 
has  been  the  habit  of  speakers  and  writers  to  de- 
clare that  the  name  was  given  to  the  disciples  as 
an  opprobrious  epithet,  but  I  never  could  see  any 
reason  for  this  interpretation.  There  is  no  hint 
in  the  New  Testament  that  the  name  carried  with 
it  ridicule.  It  is  far  more  probable  that  the  church 
at  Antioch,  during  the  year  of  Paul's  residence, 
made  a  profound  impression  upon  the  community, 
and  that  the  heathen,  hearing  the  name  of  Christ 
so  constantly,  and  beholding  the  devotion  of  the 
disciples  to  Christ  and  his  teachings,  called  them 
"  Christians,"  not  in  ridicule,  but  that  they  might 
be  intelligently  designated.  Let  us  believe  that  the 


2l6     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

people  of  Antioch,  beholding  the  zeal  and  conse- 
cration of  the  disciples,  purposely  called  them  by 
the  name  which  was  their  chief  glory.  But  what- 
ever led  to  the  name,  it  has  ever  since  been  the 
name  by  which  the  followers  of  Jesus  have  been 
known. 

The  second  mention  of  the  word  "  Christian  " 
is  in  the  record  of  the  trial  of  Paul  the  apostle  be- 
fore King  Herod  Agrippa.  You  will  recall  the 
circumstances.  Men  were  minded  to  make  sport 
of  the  apostle,  but  with  red-hot  earnestness  he 
poured  forth  his  remarkable  defense,  and  turning 
suddenly  to  Agrippa  he  said :  "  King  Agrippa,  be- 
lievest  thou  the  prophets?  I  know  that  thou  be- 
lievest."  Then  the  king,  in  confusion,  tried  to 
turn  the  matter  into  a  jest,  and  said,  "  With  a  lit- 
tle persuasion  wouldest  thou  fain  make  me  a 
Christian  ?  "  Paul  answered :  "  I  would  to  God 
that  whether  with  little  or  with  much,  not  only 
thou,  but  also  all  that  hear  me  this  day,  might  be- 
come such  as  I  am,  except  these  bonds."  Here 
you  note  that  the  word  "  Christian  "  seems  to  have 
become  the  commonplace  designation  of  the  dis- 
ciples, since  Agrippa  uses  it  without  explanation. 

The  third  instance  in  which  the  word  "  Chris- 
tian "  occurs,  is  the  only  instance  in  which  the 
word  is  used  by  a  Christian,  but  it  unmistakably 
declares  that  by  this  time  the  disciples  had  them- 
selves accepted  the  name.  It  is  the  apostle  Peter 
who  called  the  disciples  ''  Christians  "  in  a  re- 


CHRISTIANS  AND  CHURCH-MEMBERSHIP     21/ 

markable  passage.  ''  Beloved,  think  it  not  strange 
concerning  the  fiery  trial  which  is  to  try  you,  as 
though  some  strange  thing  happened  unto  you: 
but  rejoice,  inasmuch  as  ye  are  partakers  of 
Christ's  sufferings;  that,  when  his  glory  shall  be 
revealed,  ye  may  be  glad  also  with  exceeding  joy. 
If  ye  be  reproached  for  the  name  of  Christ,  happy 
are  ye ;  for  the  spirit  of  glory  and  of  God  resteth 
upon  you :  on  their  part  he  is  evil  spoken  of,  but 
on  your  part  he  is  glorified.  But  let  none  of  you 
suffer  as  a  murderer,  or  as  a  thief,  or  as  an  evil- 
doer, or  as  a  busybody  in  other  men's  matters. 
Yet  if  any  man  suffer  as  a  Christian,  .  .  let  him 
glorify  God  on  his  behalf." 

Thus  we  see  that  three  times  the  word  "  Chris- 
tian "  occurs  in  the  New  Testament.  The  name 
is  first  applied  simply  to  the  followers  of  Christ, 
to  those  whose  profession  emphasized  the  fact 
that  they  were  disciples.  It  is  next  applied  to 
those  who  were  recognized  as  anxious  to  make 
disciples  of  others.  It  is  next  applied  to  those 
who  walk  in  Christ's  footsteps,  sharing  his  char- 
acter, experiencing  his  beatitudes,  and  enduring 
his  suffering. 

What  is  a  Christian? 

Informing  and  interesting,  indeed,  is  the  use 
of  this  New  Testament  word.  We  know  the 
characteristics  and  deeds  of  the  disciples  which 
gave  birth  to  the  beautiful  name  which  we  are 


2l8     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

discussing,  but  we  must  go  back  of  these  and  find 
out  just  what  a  Christian  is. 

Henry  Drummond  says  that  he  knew  of  a  cynic 
who  gave  the  following  definition  of  a  Christian, 
"  A  Christian  man  is  a  man  whose  great  aim  in 
life  is  a  selfish  desire  to  save  his  own  soul  (who  in 
order  to  do  that  goes  regularly  to  church),  and 
whose  supreme  hope  is  to  go  to  heaven  when  he 
dies."  Drummond  declared  that  the  definition  re- 
minded him  of  one  of  Professor  Huxley's  exami- 
nation papers  in  which  the  question  was  put, 
''  What  is  a  lobster?  "  One  student  replied,  "  A 
lobster  is  a  red  fish  which  moves  backwards." 
Professor  Huxley  declared  that  this  would  be  a 
good  answer  except  for  three  things.  In  the  first 
place,  a  lobster  is  not  a  fish ;  secondly,  it  is  not  red ; 
and  thirdly,  it  does  not  move  backward.  That 
cynic  exactly  described  what  a  Christian  is  not, 
rather  than  what  a  Christian  is.  The  principal 
thing  which  Christianity  seeks  to  extirpate  from 
a  man's  nature  is  selfishness.  The  more  Christ- 
like a  man  becomes  the  less  selfish  he  is.  The 
cynic  was  wrong.  A  Christian  is  one  who,  con- 
scious of  sin  and  helplessness,  puts  his  trust  in 
Jesus  Christ  as  a  Saviour,  and  then  strives  to  be 
obedient  to  Jesus  Christ  as  King.  A  Christian  is 
one  in  whom  Christ  works  for  the  salvation  of  a 
lost  world.  A  Christian  is  one  who  repents  of 
his  sins,  accepts  Jesus  Christ  as  his  Saviour,  and 
yields  his  life  to  Christ  and  his  service. 


WILLIAM  HOLLOWAY  MAIN 

Pastor.  1907-1916 


CHRISTIANS  AND  CHURCH-MEMBERSHIP     2 19 

How  do  zve  become  Christians? 

This  is  an  age-long  and  commonplace  question. 
It  is  amazing,  with  all  the  books  of  the  present 
day,  with  all  the  sermons  which  are  preached, 
with  all  the  personal  work  which  is  done,  that  the 
matter  of  personal  religion  assumes  a  kind  of 
mysteriousness  which  baffles  the  average  man. 
Dr.  David  J.  Burrell  had  this  word  in  a  letter 
from  a  prominent  man  of  affairs  in  New  York, 
"  All  my  life  I  have  been  an  attendant  at  church ; 
I  would  like  to  be  a  Christian,  but  I  confess  I  have 
never  yet  learned  how  to  set  about  it."  We  are 
afraid  that  the  men  of  the  pew  have  been  mysti- 
fied by  the  men  of  the  pulpit.  Our  congregations 
have  come  for  bread  and  have  received  a  stone. 
Too  many  men  have  preached  everything  except 
the  thing  which  Christ  sent  them  to  preach. 
There  are  many  false  notions  abroad  as  to  what 
makes  a  man  a  Christian.  Many  people  feel  that 
they  are  Christians  without  having  any  scrip- 
tural warrant  for  that  feeling.  Many  others  are 
Christians,  but  they  have  no  assurance.  To  make 
a  mistake  here  is  to  make  a  fatal  mistake.  No 
man  ought  to  comfort  himself  with  a  false  hope ; 
no  man  ought  to  be  without  assurance  who  is  a 
true  Christian. 

We  do  not  become  Christians  by  inheritance. 
Many  feel  that  they  have  become  Christians 
by  inheritance — that  they  are  Christians  because 


220     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

their  parents  were  Christians ;  that  they  are  Chris- 
tians because  of  the  blood  that  runs  in  their  veins ; 
or  because  of  a  covenant  that  God  entered  into 
with  their  parents.  In  other  words,  that  the  sav- 
ing grace  of  Christianity  is  handed  down  from 
father  to  son,  just  as  covenant  blessings  were 
handed  down  from  father  to  son  among  the  Jews, 
This  is  an  utter  perversion  of  Christianity.  It  is 
true  that  parents  may  do  much  toward  bringing 
their  children  to  the  Saviour,  and  wo  to  parents 
who  neglect  this  God-given  privilege !  Scripture 
and  experience  prove  that  the  graces  of  Chris- 
tianity are  not  inherited  from  parents,  however 
godly  these  parents  may  be. 

We  do  not  become  Christians  by  obedience  to 
Christian  precepts. 

There  are  many  people  who  feel  that  they  have 
become  Christians  by  taking  the  moral  precepts 
of  the  New  Testament  as  the  guide  of  life,  and  by 
striving  earnestly  to  mold  the  life  according  to 
these  high  ideals.  A  prominent  religious  teacher 
puts  it  this  way :  "  With  regard  to  the  question, 
how  you  shall  begin  the  Christian  life,  let  me 
remind  you  that  theology  is  the  most  abstruse 
thing  in  the  world,  but  that  practical  religion  is 
the  simplest  thing.  If  any  of  you  wants  to  know 
how  to  begin  to  be  a  Christian,  all  I  can  say  is 
that  you  should  begin  to  do  the  next  thing  you 
find  to  be  done  as  Christ  would  have  done  it.     If 


CHRISTIANS  AND  CHURCH-MEMBERSHIP     221 

you  follow  Christ  the  '  old  man '  will  die  of 
atrophy,  and  the  '  new  man  '  will  grow  day  by 
day  under  his  abiding  friendship."  No  better 
advice  could  have  been  given  to  the  Christian  who 
yearns  for  a  fuller  Christian  life,  but  no  more 
perilous  advice  could  be  given  to  the  inquirer  who 
is  seeking  to  become  a  Christian.  A  man  can 
never  become  a  Christian  by  seeking  to  follow  in 
the  footsteps  of  Christ.  There  must  be  life  be- 
fore there  can  be  fruit.  It  is  not  the  imitation  of 
Christ,  but  the  assimilation  of  Christ  which  makes 
a  man  a  Christian. 

We  do  not  become  Christians  by  submitting 
ourselves  to  ordinances. 

There  are  many  people  who  feel  that  they  be- 
come Christian  by  submitting  themselves  to  the 
ordinances  which  Christ  commanded.  This  is 
sacramentarianism.  Ordinances  were  ordained 
by  God,  but  no  observance  of  ordinances  can  make 
a  man  a  Christian.  Baptism  is  an  external  form 
of  rare  teaching  value,  by  which  men  are  to  con- 
fess their  allegiance  to  Christ.  The  Lord's  Sup- 
per is  an  external  form  of  rare  teaching  value,  by 
which  men  are  to  recall  and  declare  Christ's  death 
in  their  behalf  and  his  blessed  promise  to  come 
again.  Neither  baptism  nor  the  Lord's  Supper 
can  make  us  Christians,  for  neither  of  them  can 
be  properly  observed  until  after  we  are  Christians. 
But  apart  from  this,  how  absurd  it  is  to  think  that 


222     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

the  application  of  water  to  a  man's  body  can 
change  his  heart !  Baptism  makes  nobody  a  child 
of  God.  It  never  has;  it  never  can.  We  hold 
these  two  ordinances  in  great  reverence,  but  we 
should  rather  abandon  their  use  altogether  as  the 
Quakers  did,  than  exalt  them  to  a  place  in  the 
scheme  of  salvation  which  would  make  them  a 
positive  menace  to  the  souls  of  meru 

We  do  not  become  Christians  by  uniting  zvith  a 
church. 

Many  feel  that  the  way  to  salvation  is  through 
the  church,  and  there  are  multitudes  of  people  who 
believe  that  they  are  Christians  simply  because 
they  are  church-members.  This  is  ecclesiasticism. 
They  became  Masons  by  joining  a  Masonic  lodge, 
so  they  have  become  Christians  by  joining  a 
Christian  church !  We  have  little  admiration  for 
the  Christian  who  refuses  to  identify  himself  with 
the  institution  which  represents  Christ  in  the 
world,  and  which  stands  for  Christian  worship, 
Christian  work,  and  Christian  fellowship;  yet  all 
sane  men  ought  to  know  that  uniting  with  a 
church  never  yet  made  a  man  a  Christian.  All 
Christians  ought  to  be  members  of  some  church, 
for  loyalty  to  Christ  demands  it,  and  the  most  effi- 
cient service  to  the  world  demands  it,  but  there  is 
no  essential  connection  between  church-member- 
ship and  personal  salvation.  It  is  to  our  shame 
that  we  confess  it,  but  there  are  many  people  in 


CHRISTIANS  AND  CHURCH-MEMBERSHIP     22:i^ 

the  churches  who  show  no  evidence  whatever  that 
they  are  Christians.  We  must  have  a  surer 
foundation  upon  which  to  rest  than  church-mem- 
bership. To  be  sure  you  are  a  Mason  because  you 
belong  to  a  Masonic  lodge,  but  you  are  not  neces- 
sarily a  Christian  because  you  belong  to  a  Chris- 
tian church.  In  the  churches  there  are  some 
hypocrites,  and  many  who  have  deceived  them- 
selves into  believing,  or  who  have  been  deceived 
by  others  into  believing,  that  they  are  Christians. 
The  wheat  and  the  tares  will  grow  together  until 
the  harvest. 

We  do  not  become  Christians  by  accepting  doc- 
trinal systems. 

There  are  many  people  who  believe  that  they 
are  Christians  because  they  give  intellectual  cre- 
dence to  the  doctrines  of  Christianity — that  men 
become  Christians  as  they  become  evolutionists, 
by  giving  the  assent  of  their  minds  to  a  certain 
system  of  truth  or  philosophy.  In  this  sense  men 
are  Christians  rather  than  Mohammedans  or 
Buddhists.  In  this  sense  we  are  a  Christian  na- 
tion; in  this  sense  our  institutions  are  Christian 
institutions.  But  the  assent  of  a  man's  mind  to 
Christian  truth  never  made  a  man  a  Christian.  I 
have  often  found  this  the  dilemma  of  Jews  seeking 
to  become  Christians.  •  Just  as  soon  as  they  came 
to  see  the  historicity  of  Cm-istianity,-ji*st  as  soon 
as  they  came  to  the  conviction  that  Jesus  of  Naza- 


224     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

reth  was  the  Christ,  they  felt  that  they  were  Chris- 
tians. We  have  known  godless  men  to  make  val- 
iant war  in  behalf  of  a  Christian  doctrine,  and 
not  infrequently  we  have  heard  godless  men  argu- 
ing hotly  over  denominational  differences,  all 
alike  convinced  of  the  truth  of  Christianity,  and 
even  divided  into  hostile  denominational  camps! 
Ask  your  friend  if  he  is  a  Christian  and  he  will 
probably  answer,  "Do  you  think  I  am  a 
heathen  ?  "  We  need  to  make  very  clear  the  fact 
that  intellectual  acceptance  of  revealed  truth  con- 
cerning Jesus  Christ  does  not  make  a  man  a 
Christian.  A  man  may  hold  a  correct  view  of  the 
doctrine  of  regeneration  all  his  life,  and  yet  never 
be  regenerated  himself.  Orthodoxy  of  belief  is 
not  inconsistent  with  unrighteousness  of  life.  Do 
not  feel  that  you  are  a  Christian  simply  because 
you  believe  that  the  Bible  is  the  word  of  God.  It 
is  not  enough  to  give  intellectual  assent  to  the 
truth. 

Having  cleared  away  the  rubbish,  we  are  now 
in  a  position  to  see  what  the  New  Testament  has 
to  say  concerning  the  method  by  which  men 
become  Christians. 

How  then  do  zve  become  Christians? 

The  New  Testament  explicitly  declares  that 
men  become  Christians  by  a  change  of  heart,  of 
disposition,  of  nature,  so  radical  that  it  is  called 
a  ''  new  birth,"  or  regeneration.     This  radical 


CHRISTIANS  AND  CHURCH-MEMBERSHIP     225 

change  which  takes  place  in  us  separates  us  from 
the  world  and  unites  us  to  God  and  to  all  men 
who  have  passed  through  the  same  experience. 
Regenerated  men  differ  from  one  another  in 
gifts  and  graces,  but  because  of  their  common 
birth  by  the  Holy  Spirit  they  constitute  one 
family  in  Christ.  No  man  can  regenerate  him- 
self. This  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  But 
sinful  and  lost  men  are  so  constituted  that  they 
must  assume  a  definite  and  prescribed  attitude 
before  the  work  of  regeneration  upon  the  part  of 
God  is  possible. 

What  does  the  Bible  teach  as  to  man's  part  in 
the  matter  of  salvation  ?  To  make  a  mistake  here 
is  to  make  a  fatal  mistake.  Let  Jesus  Christ 
speak.  To  Nicodemus  he  said,  "  God  so  loved 
the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son, 
that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  per- 
ish, but  have  everlasting  life."  The  simplicity  of 
the  plan  bewildered  the  learned  rabbi,  so  the 
Master  used  a  simple  object-lesson,  "  As  Moses 
lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even  so 
must  the  Son  of  Man  be  lifted  up :  that  whosoever 
believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have 
eternal  life."  The  Master  taught  that  the  one 
thing  necessary  is  to  believe  in  Christ.  Over  and 
over  again  this  is  repeated  by  Christ  and  those 
authorized  to  speak  for  him.  To  the  jailer  con- 
victed of  sin  Paul  said,  "  Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  and  thou  shalt  be  saved."    But  what 


226     THE   POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

is  it  to  believe  in  Christ?  What  is  faith?  Dr. 
John  A.  Broadus,  that  prince  of  preachers,  de- 
clared that  the  best  explanation  he  ever  heard 
of  faith  was  given  by  an  old  negro  preacher 
down  in  Virginia.  Some  one  said  to  him,  "  Uncle 
Reuben,  can  you  explain  the  meaning  of  faith?  " 
"  To  be  sure  I  can.  Now,  in  the  first  place,  there 
is  faith.  What  is  faith?  Why,  faith  is  jes'  faith. 
Faith  ain't  nothing  less  than  faith.  Faith,  is 
nothing  more  than  faith.  Faith  is  jes'  faith. 
Now  I  done  'splain  it."  That  man  was  right. 
Faith  is  as  simple  a  conception  as  the  human 
mind  can  have.  Like  love,  it  cannot  be  analyzed 
into  parts,  nor  can  you  find  anything  simpler  with 
which  to  compare  it.  It  is  like  laughter ;  you  can- 
not explain  it  nor  analyze  it,  but  you  know  what 
it  is  well  enough.  So  it  is  with  believing  on 
Christ  or  having  faith  in  Christ. 

The  content  of  faith. 

But  if  the  matter  of  believing  is  so  simple,  we 
may  at  least  inquire  as  to  what  we  are  to  believe, 
as  to  what  is  to  be  the  content  of  faith.  First,  we 
must  believe  what  the  Bible  says  about  Jesus,  we 
must  credit  the  historic  record  of  his  life.  We 
must  believe  what  the  Bible  says  about  Jesus ;  we 
must  believe  that  he  lived  and  preached  and 
healed,  and  sacrificed  and  suffered  and  died  on 
the  accursed  cross,  and  arose  from  the  dead.  We 
must  go  even   farther  and  believe   what  Jesus 


CHRISTIANS  AND  CHURCH-MEMBERSHIP     22/ 

claimed  for  himself.  He  claimed  to  be  the  Mes- 
siah, the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God.  He  claimed  to 
be  able  to  forgive  sins,  and  declared  that  he  had 
come  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many.  He 
claimed  to  be  the  fulfilment  of  Old  Testament 
prophecy,  the  Saviour  spoken  of  in  the  fifty-third 
chapter  of  Isaiah. 

We  believe  this  record  concerning  Jesus  of 
Nazareth.  Yes,  but  to  give  mere  intellectual  as- 
sent is  not  sufficient.  Do  we  believe  Jesus  when 
he  says,  "  Him  that  cometh  unto  me  I  will  in  no 
wise  cast  out "  ?  Do  we  believe  him  when  he 
says,  "  He  that  believeth  on  me  hath  everlasting 
life"?  Do  we  believe  him  sufficiently  to  yield 
ourselves  to  his  love  and  forgiveness,  to  lay  down 
our  arms  and  make  an  unconditional  surrender, 
to  espouse  and  advocate  his  cause  ?  If  we  do,  then 
we  have  exercised  saving  faith  in  the  Son  of  God, 
and  by  that  act  we  have  become  Christians. 

Jusfiftcation  by  faith. 

There  is  a  simple  phrase  which  has  been  cov- 
ered up  for  many  centuries  by  theological  discus- 
sions and  dogmas.  What  does  Paul  mean  when 
he  says,  ''being  justified  by  faith"?  Martin 
Luther  found  no  peace  until  he  came  to  under- 
stand the  meaning  of  these  words.  On  his  knees 
he  was  wearily  climbing  the  Scala  Santa.  We 
saw  seventeen  men  and  women  climbing  those 
stairs  at  one  time.     It  is  a  work  of  merit.     But 


228     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

suddenly  it  came  to  Luther,  as  it  must  come  to  all 
of  us,  that  we  can  never  find  peace  by  any  merit 
of  our  own.  Like  a  flash  Luther  saw  the  mean- 
ing of  "  being  justified  by  faith."  He  understood 
then  how  he  could  have  peace  with  God.  What 
does  it  mean?  It  means  that  if  you  believe  on 
Jesus  Christ  God  will  regard  you  and  treat  you 
as  a  just  and  righteous  man.  It  means  that  God 
will  look  upon  you,  as  he  will  look  upon  a  per- 
fectly righteous  man,  with  all  the  love  and  com- 
placency of  his  heart.  A  great  scholar  puts  it  this 
way :  ''As  God  would  treat  a  man  who  was  just 
because  he  deserved  it,  so  the  gospel  proposes  to 
treat  men  who  are  not  just  and  who  do  not  de- 
serve it,  if  they  believe  on  Christ.  A  sinful  man, 
an  undeserving  man,  may  have  God's  forgiveness 
and  favor  and  love,  may  be  regarded  with  com- 
placency and  delight,  though  he  does  not  deserve 
it,  if  he  believes  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

But  this  justification  is  only  the  first  step  in  our 
salvation.  When  God  declares  us  just  because  we 
believe  in  Christ,  he  begins  to  make  us  just. 
When  he  wraps  us  about  with  the  robe  of  Christ's 
righteousness,  he  plants  in  our  hearts  the  seeds  of 
Christ's  righteousness.  He  declares  us  righteous 
and  simultaneously  he  begins  the  process  of  mak- 
ing us  righteous.  One  process  we  call  justifica- 
tion, the  other  we  call  regeneration.  In  justifica- 
tion he  deals  with  our  standing  before  the  law. 
In   regeneration   he   deals  with   our   characters. 


CHRISTIANS  AND  CHURCH-MEMBERSHIP     229 

Both  justification  and  regeneration  are  the  work 
of  God.  All  that  is  essential  for  us  is  that  we 
exercise  saving  faith,  that  we  believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  We  yield  ourselves  to  Christ,  and 
straightway  the  waiting  and  yearning  Christ 
takes  possession  of  us,  and  we  become  Christians. 
''  Wherefore  he  is  able  also  to  save  them  to  the 
uttermost  that  come  unto  God  by  him,  seeing  he 
ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for  them."  He 
is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  of  sin,  he  is  able 
to  save  to  the  uttermost  of  bad  habit,  he  is  able 
to  save  to  the  uttermost  of  despair.  There  are 
no  incurables  in  the  hospital  of  the  Lord. 

But  to  be  a  Christian  means  not  only  to  be  con- 
scious of  sin  and  helplessness,  not  only  to  accept 
Jesus  Christ  as  Saviour,  but  also  to  obey  him  as 
Lord  and  Master.  He  said,  ^'  If  ye  love  me,  ye 
will  keep  my  commandments."  It  is  ours  to  yield, 
day  by  day,  and  hour  by  hour,  to  the  promptings 
of  the  indwelling  Spirit,  and  thus  we  shall  work 
out  our  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling,  realiz- 
ing that  it  is  God  who  worketh  in  us  both  to  will 
and  to  do  according  to  his  good  pleasure.  We  are 
Christians  if  we  have  accepted  Christ  as  Saviour, 
if  we  are  manifesting  Christ's  life  in  our  char- 
acter, and  if  we  are  giving  our  life  to  his  service. 
Christ's  life  within  us  will  inevitably  blossom  into 
noble  character,  and  bear  fruit  in  noble  conduct. 
"  What  doth  it  profit,  my  brethren,  though  a  man 
say  he  hath  faith,  and  have  not  works  ?  can  faith 
Q 


230     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

save  him?  .  .  Faith,  if  it  hath  not  works,  is  dead 
in  itself/' 

A  chitrch  after  the  New  Testament  pattern. 

A  church  of  Christ  is  composed  of  these  saved 
people,  these  Christians  whom  I  have  been  de- 
scribing. They  have  confessed  their  faith  in  their 
Lord  and  Saviour  by  the  exquisitely  beautiful  or- 
dinance of  baptism,  an  ordinance  which  is  a  pic- 
torial representation  of  all  the  essentials  of  our 
evangelical  faith.  As  they  have  gone  down  into 
the  baptismal  waters  they  have  declared  that  hav- 
ing died  with  Christ  on  the  cross  they  are  about 
to  be  buried  with  him  by  baptism,  and  that  as 
Christ  arose  from  the  dead  they  hope  to  arise 
from  the  watery  grave  to  walk  in  newness  of  life. 
How  wonderful  it  is  that  in  this  ordinance  Christ 
safeguards  the  great  doctrines  of  Christianity, 
and  how  precious  therefore  it  ought  to  be  to  us ! 

These  believers,  having  confessed  Christ,  now 
associate  themselves  together  in  an  organization 
called  the  church,  which  has  for  its  purpose  Chris- 
tian worship.  Christian  work,  and  Christian  fel- 
lowship. Such  a  church  has  this  been  during  the 
past  half  century.  May  it  continue  to  be  such  a 
church  through  all  centuries  to  come. 


THE  FACT  OF  THE 
RESURRECTION 

WILLIAM  RU55ELL  OWEN.  D.  D. 
Pastor,  Memorial  Baptist  Church,  Philadelphia 


Jesus  himself  stood  in  the  midst  of  them. — Luke  24  :  36 


THE  FACT  OF  THE 
RESURRECTION 


Christianity  is  positive  in  its  belief  that  Jesus 
Christ  rose  from  the  dead  and  reigns  as  a  living 
personality.  The  normal  events  of  any  life — birth 
and  death — in  Jesus  were  wrought  with  the  event 
of  the  supernatural ;  that  is,  the  birth  and  death  of 
Jesus  entered  the  realm  of  the  spiritual.  In  his 
birth,  modest  maidenhood  was  called  upon  to  offer 
itself  in  heroism  upon  the  altar  of  mute  consecra- 
tion, the  grandeur  of  which  never  before  had  the 
world  known.  In  his  death,  somehow,  the  fact  of 
the  tragedy  of  the  cross  has  a  meaning  which  at 
once  transcends  the  rationalist's  effort  to  explain ; 
and  whether  the  theory  of  the  death  of  Jesus  be 
that  of  the  Middle  Ages  or  that  of  modern 
scholarship,  the  event  of  his  death  in  both  cases 
is  a  spiritual  event  which  strangely  contributes  a 
historic  dynamic  to  the  centuries,  and  is  still  trans- 
forming the  world.  The  resurrection  of  its 
Founder  is  a  fact  peculiar  to  Christianity.  The 
resurrection  of  Jesus  was  not  a  reanimation  nor 
an  apparition  of  a  spirit  visualized  at  spectacular 
moments.  After  three  days,  unwitnessed,  un- 
heralded, Jesus  came  out  of  death  with  a  body 


234     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

changed,  improved,  immortal,  incorruptible,  and 
spiritual.  None  but  sympathetic  disciples  ever 
saw  him  in  the  forty  days  preceding  the  ascension. 
His  body  thus  glorified  challenged  the  faith  and 
the  best  spiritual  powers  of  his  disciples. 

The  case  for  immortality  is  not  parallel  to  the 
fact  of  the  resurrection.  Jesus  brought  light  to 
immortality.  A  universal  faith  in  immortality, 
and  an  unanswerable  longing  for  another  life  to 
establish  equity  for  life's  inequalities,  and  the  ar- 
gument based  upon  the  evolution  of  life  into  the 
higher  and  better  potentialities  about  close  the 
case  for  immortality,  yet  a  few  confound  the  truth 
of  the  resurrection  with  simple  existence  after 
death.  On  the  night  when  my  father  had  slipped 
on  the  sandals  of  peace  and  had  walked  away  into 
the  world  of  light,  I  was  walking  with  my 
younger  brother  under  the  silent  stars.  We  were 
seeking  some  comfort  in  our  faith,  and  I  said, 
''  Well,  there  is  the  fact  of  the  resurrection," 
*'  Yes,"  he  answered,  **  I  believe  we  shall  live  after 
death."  ''  But,"  was  the  reply,  *'  that  body  which 
we  saw,  pale  and  weakened  and  white,  shall  some 
day  rise  from  the  dead  in  the  image  of  the  old 
body,  but  with  a  heavenly  difference,  recognizable, 
but  perfect,  without  the  limitations  of  time  or 
space,  and  painless,  no  longer  a  natural  body  but 
a  spiritual.  This  is  guaranteed  to  us  by  the  words 
which  say,  *  Now  is  Christ  risen  from  the  dead, 
and  become  the  firstfruits  of  them  that  slept.'  " 


THE    FACT    OF    THE    RESURRECTION  235 

The  New  Testament  abounds  with  the  expec- 
tant hope  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus.  He  himself 
often  spoke  of  it.  It  is  clearly  the  inspiration  of 
the  preaching  of  the  early  church,  and  to  attain 
to  the  power  of  his  resurrection  was  a  motive 
which  called  out  the  noblest  service  of  the  early 
apostles.  The  book  of  Romans,  whose  integrity 
has  never  been  successfully  questioned,  states, 
"  He  was  delivered  for  our  offenses,  and  was 
raised  again  for  our  justification."  And  the  first 
letter  to  the  Corinthian  church,  whose  place  as  a 
historical  book  is  wholly  established,  declares : 
''  If  there  be  no  resurrection  of  the  dead,  then  is 
Christ  not  risen :  and  if  Christ  be  not  risen,  then 
is  our  preaching  vain,  and  your  faith  is  also  vain." 

The  resurrection  of  Jesus  is  as  easily  proved 
from  unimpeached  records  as  is  the  incident  of 
George  Washington's  crossing  the  Delaware.  In 
our  day  of  world  distress,  observers  of  the  battle- 
fields in  Europe  declare  that  there  is  scarce  a  sol- 
dier who  does  not  believe  in  the  fact  of  the  im- 
mortality of  the  soul,  and  as  a  corollary  to  this 
belief  the  vast  regiments  of  thinking  soldiers,  with 
blinding  fire-blasts  and  reeking  shrapnel  swath- 
ing death  lanes  on  all  sides  of  them,  somehow  are 
taking  a  greater  and  realer  comfort  in  the  fact  of 
the  resurrection,  which  couples  together  the  im- 
mortal soul  and  body  after  death. 

Some  simple  proofs  of  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus  will  buttress  our  faith  in  the  fact  of  the 


236     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

resurrection  of  Jesus  and  the  prophecy  of  our 
own. 

We  shall  present,  first,  the  proof  from  the  argu- 
ment of  the  records,  secondly,  the  internal  evi- 
dence of  Jesus'  life,  and  then  the  extracanonical 
evidence  which  gathers  up  its  case  from  the  centu- 
ries of  history. 

The  New  Testament  presents  the  record  of 
more  than  five  hundred  eye-witnesses  to  the  risen 
Lord.  History,  recorded  by  a  careful  scribe  years 
after  rumors  and  traditions  have  cleared  away, 
increases  its  value  as  a  record  the  longer  its  pages 
remain  unimpeached.  Thus  with  the  New  Testa- 
ment presenting  Mary  in  the  early  morning  cry- 
ing, ''  Rabboni,"  and  those  other  women  in  the 
garden  meeting  the  Lord  face  to  face;  with  the 
pensive  disciples  on  the  Emmaus  Road  testifying 
to  his  presence ;  and  Peter  alone  in  some  Galilean 
bower;  and  at  the  close  of  the  first  Sunday  the 
ten  disciples  in  the  barred  room  stirred  to  the 
ecstasy  of  worship  by  the  sudden  appearance  of 
Jesus — certainly  these  eye-witnesses  become  cu- 
mulative as  a  jury  of  spectators  of  the  Christ  of 
the  resurrection  in  a  single  day.  Later  we  have 
the  Lord's  presentation  of  himself  to  the  Eleven, 
when  Thomas  comes  forth  with  his  testimony  im- 
mortal, in  reassuring  conversation  with  James  his 
doubting  brother,  to  the  five  hundred  in  a  single 
epiphany,  to  the  fishers  by  Tiberias  Lake,  and 
finally  to  the  disciples  on  tlie  way  to  Bethany, 


WILLIAM  RUSSELL  OWEN 

Pastor,  1917- 


THE    FACT    OF    THE    RESURRECTION  237 

when  they  saw  him  gently  lifted,  transported,  as- 
cending to  the  heavens,  from  which  in  like  man- 
ner he  shall  return.  Upon  the  testimony  of  these 
eye-witnesses  of  record  we  might  almost  rest. 
Greenleaf,  the  world's  great  authority  on  evi- 
dence, in  his  volume  on  the  harmony  of  the  Four 
Gospels  as  related  to  the  evidence  of  the  eye- 
witnesses to  the  resurrection,  states  his  significant 
opinion  that  "  The  testimony  of  the  eye-witnesses 
to  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  is  conclusive."  The 
proof  from  the  record  convinces  one  of  the  fact. 

There  comes  again  the  problem  of  the  life  and 
personality  of  Jesus  to  be  explained  if  he  be  not 
risen  and  living  to-day.  Death  is  the  natural  end 
of  all  men.  You  lose  a  friend  by  death.  You 
come  to  me  at  the  close  of  three  days  and  say, 
"  Come,  dine  with  me,  I  have  a  friend  risen  from 
the  dead.''  I  make  light  of  your  strange  fancy. 
I  answer  you :  "  I  will  not  come ;  I  knew  your 
friend.  It  was  natural  that  he  die.  He  suffered, 
and  murmured  because  he  suffered.  He  had  the 
common  faults  of  men.  It  was  natural  that  he 
die,  for  to  all  men  there  comes  once  death."  But 
here  is  Jesus,  the  contemporary  of  the  ages. 
Among  philosophers  the  chief,  among  teachers  the 
first,  he  stands  head  and  shoulders  above  all  men, 
sinless,  stainless,  scarless  in  moral  fiber.  He 
sweeps  through  the  centuries  as  the  silhouetted 
figure  against  the  skyline  of  every  age.  Nations 
which  sat  in  darkness  have  seen  his  great  light. 


2^8     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

"  Never  a  single  word  which  he  uttered  has  been 
discredited,"  cries  Romanes,  and  Jesus  in  his 
earthly  career  has  kept  all  of  the  law  which  if  a 
man  keep,  says  Jehovah,  he  shall  live  thereby. 
But  Jesus  dies,  he  is  buried,  and  the  onlooking  by- 
stander asks  of  God :  '*  Where  is  thy  integrity  ? 
Why  should  a  blameless  life,  having  kept  the  law, 
reap  the  wages  of  sin,  being  sinless?  "  "  God's 
character,"  writes  Johnston-Ross,  ''  is  at  stake, 
but  in  the  last  moment  he  is  rescued  by  the  resur- 
rection of  Jesus."  It  were  a  greater  miracle  to 
explain  God  and  solve  the  problem  of  Jesus  with- 
out a  resurrection  than  to  accept  the  fact  of  the 
risen  Lord.  Greater  even  than  his  singular  per- 
sonality are  the  survival  values  of  the  preeminent 
spiritual  qualities  and  persistent  moral  buttresses 
of  the  post-resurrection  expressions  of  the  life  of 
Jesus.  Jesus,  because  of  what  he  was,  and  what 
he  is,  and  what  he  did,  must  rise  from  the  dead, 
else  his  life  is  commonplace  as  man's. 

And  there  is  the  proof  which  gathers  accumu- 
lating value  through  the  years.  Often  by  the  tes- 
timony of  the  saints  who  endure,  often  by  the 
transformation  of  barbarous  communities  into 
centers  of  mercy  by  the  hospitals  that  literally 
fleck  every  hillside  as  flowers  cover  the  vales, 
often  by  the  quiet  intrusion  of  the  life  of  the  living 
risen  Christ  with  the  gentleness  of  one  who 
quenches  no  smoking  flax  and  breaks  no  bruised 
or  broken  reed,  into  the  inner  potential  centers 


THE    FACT    OF    THE    RESURRECTION  239 

of  civic,  and  national,  and  international  affairs, 
Jesus  is  conquering  the  earth.  The  world  has  all 
but  made  up  its  mind  that  Jesus  lives  and  still  in- 
volves his  life  in  the  events  and  program  of  man. 
Recently  a  prominent  minister  of  Jesus  Christ  v^as 
introduced  by  a  Jewish  rabbi.  *'  You,"  he  said, 
'*  believe  in  the  Christ  that  has  come  and  con- 
quered. We  believe  in  the  Messiah  yet  to  come, 
but  we  desire  to  say  that  if  our  Messiah  will  meet 
the  measure  of  your  Christ,  we  as  Jews  shall  be 
satisfied." 

You  would  expect  after  the  event  of  the  miracle 
of  the  resurrection  that  the  world  would  fall  upon 
a  new  era,  a  new  age,  a  new  dispensation,  a  new 
ideal.  That  is  what  has  happened  in  the  world 
since  Jesus  arose  from  the  dead.  Timid  disciples 
are  made  bold,  a  mighty  dynamic  in  the  story  of  a 
life  which  has  conquered  death  inspires  the  ages, 
and  the  testimony  of  the  centuries  indicates  the 
fact  with  which  the  early  apostles  visualized  their 
age,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  risen  from  the  dead  as 
the  Master  of  death  and  the  Lord  of  life. 

But  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  stands  like 
a  sentinel's  steel  armor,  empty  in  a  public  mu- 
seum, unless  we  can  thrust  into  the  doctrine  a  vi- 
tal personality  who  moves  the  shining  armor  to 
take  its  place  in  the  lists  of  life  to-day. 

The  fact  that  Jesus  rose  from  the  dead  spirit- 
ualizes the  common  ways  of  men.  He  is  their 
companion  on  the  plains,  in  the  battles,  in  the 


240     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

quiet  agony  of  grief.     His  disciples  had  lost  him, 
and  they  were  seeking  his  grave : 

Oh!  could'st  thou  but  know 

With  what  a  deep  devotedness  of  woe 

We  wept  thy  absence,  o'er  and  o'er. 

Again  thinking  of  thee,  still  of  thee, 

Till  thought  grew  pain,  and  memory. 

Like  a  drop  that  night  and  day 

Falls  cold  and  ceaseless,  wore  our  hearts  away. 

But  Jesus  was  in  the  garden  at  the  very  side 
of  Mary  the  devoted;  on  the  road  to  the  quiet 
village  he  was  walking  with  the  two  dejected  men ; 
in  the  profusion  of  a  bower  of  springing  flowers 
he  cheered  and  forgave  the  truant  Peter;  and  in 
the  upper  room,  with  windows  closed  and  bar- 
riers hung,  he  smiled  in  victory  on  the  defeated, 
fearing  Eleven.  When  we  walk  along  the  Via 
Dolorosa,  Jesus  is  our  companion,  our  presence, 
our  friend.  Every  common  task  has  a  halo  of 
glory  surrounding  it.  The  cross  on  our  insignia 
is  no  longer  a  rude  engine  of  death,  it  is  the  signal 
of  the  hosts  of  the  largest  life.  Bethlehem  has 
hallowed  every  cradle  with  its  child,  Gethsemane 
has  wrapped  the  world  in  a  common  badge  of 
sorrow,  and  Golgotha  is  the  challenge  to  every 
wronged  man  and  institution  in  life  to  wait  pa- 
tiently for  a  final  justice. 

If  a  man  is  a  Christian,  he  does  not  have  to 
raise  his  voice  to  summon  his  Christ  in  the  dark 
night,  when  the  pulse  beats  slow  and  the  songs 


THE    FACT    OF    THE    RESURRECTION  24I 

have  stilled  their  voices.  He  is  the  alert  Christ. 
He  is  thrusting  our  doors  inward,  seeking  to  be- 
friend us,  when  we  thought  him  asleep  in  a  grave. 
The  drudgeries  of  the  housewife,  and  the  gray 
grind  of  the  fretting  wheels  of  commerce  are 
every  day  being  transformed  in  the  delights  of 
victories  and  the  dreams  of  those  who  overcome. 
Donald  Hankey  discovered  him  in  the  trenches  of 
war  when  the  summons  to  charge  came.  "  Men," 
he  said,  "  if  wounded,  '  Blighty  ' ;  if  killed,  the 
resurrection." 

Thomas  Tiplady  tells  of  a  child  in  Belgium  that 
could  not  be  sung  to  sleep  or  to  repose,  so  fright- 
ened had  the  child  become  by  the  presence  of  the 
Germans,  when  into  the  room  came  a  doctor  in 
khaki,  and  the  child  reached  out  to  him  crying, 
"  English,  English,"  and  soon  fell  asleep  in  his 
arms. 

We  older  children  grope  our  way 
From  the  dark  behind  to  the  dark  before ; 
But  only  when,  dear  Lord,  we  lay 
Our  hands  in  thine,  the  night  is  day, 
And  there  is  darkness  never  more. 

And  not  the  least  dynamic  found  in  the  fact  of 
the  resurrection  lies  in  the  spiritual  value  that  the 
resurrection  of  Jesus  puts  upon  the  capacity  of  the 
individual  soul  to  enter  into  a  personal  friendship 
with  his  risen  Lord.  Jesus  sought  Peter  alone 
after  the  resurrection  to  reveal  his  unbroken 
friendship;  by  special  appearance  to  James  his- 


242     THE   POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

own  brother,  tardy  in  his  conversion  to  disciple- 
ship,  Jesus  made  known  his  risen  glory;  to  the 
disciples  fearing  the  Jews  Jesus  suddenly  ap- 
peared, revealed  himself,  and  then  unfolded  the 
larger  glimpses  of  his  kingdom;  to  the  pilgrims 
on  the  silent  walk  to  the  near-by  village  he  slowly 
approached  by  means  of  discourse,  and  then  in 
the  breaking  of  bread  he  revealed  his  hidden  self. 
To  the  truant,  Jesus  assures  his  forgiveness  with 
not  even  a  rebuke ;  for  the  slow  to  believe  he  seeks 
his  time  and  place ;  the  fearing  he  encircles  with  a 
comforting  presence  first,  then  leads  reason  to 
understand  his  ways  and  words ;  with  the  world- 
wearied  and  disconsolate  toilers  he  first  walks, 
then  talks,  then  sits  in  the  unbroken  beauty  of 
friendship. 

A  rugged,  tender  preacher  of  the  Southern 
States  of  America  had  been  summoned  to  the 
bed  of  a  dying  man,  and  his  sick  friend  said  to 
him :  "  Sometimes  one  seems  to  have  unwittingly 
grown  into  a  friendship  with  Christ,  as  a  child 
with  gentle  wooing  walks  naturally  over  the 
threshold  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  yet  others 
must  have  their  minds  captivated  and  held  by 
subtle  argument,  while  others  need  to  be  taken  by 
the  scruff  of  the  neck  and  broken  up  on  a  bed  of 
illness  or  in  the  wreck  of  a  physical  grief.  I  am 
the  latter  kind,"  he  added,  ''  and  here,  broken  in 
body,  beaten  upon  the  ground,  I  acknowledge  the 
gentle  mastery  of  Jesus  over  my  soul." 


THE    FACT    OF    THE    RESURRECTION  243 

So  the  risen  Lord  often  suddenly,  sometimes 
with  seeming  tardiness,  again  and  again  in  the 
agony  of  suffering  or  the  brightness  of  an  un- 
shaded triumph,  enters  into  the  soul  that  seeks  his 
acquaintance.  Mount  Pilatus,  famous  for  the 
splendor  of  its  sunrises,  reaches  its  highest  point 
at  Eisel.  I  stood  there  in  the  early  morning, 
shrouded  in  the  garments  of  the  sunless  gloom, 
watching  the  east  for  the  sunrise.  The  Bernese 
Alps,  stretching  away  for  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles,  were  like  the  gray-bloused  shoulders  of  a 
giant  asleep.  A  score  of  Swiss  lakes  were  dull  in 
their  dim  outlines  at  our  feet  below.  It  was  chill 
and  drear.  But  away  in  the  east  were  faint  ribbons 
of  blue  and  streamers  of  crimson  bordering  along 
the  trail  of  the  breaking  day.  The  Alps  were 
now  flaming  red  at  their  crests,  and  the  Swiss 
lakes  were  glowing  into  pearl  and  opal  and  irides- 
cent charm,  the  highest  peaks  shone  with  golden 
sunbeams  glistening,  and  every  niche  and  cranny 
of  the  mountains  was  filled  with  the  effulgent 
light;  the  sun  was  rising  over  Pilatus  and  day- 
light was  everywhere.  Oh,  the  gray  sunless 
mornings  in  our  lives,  we  cannot  understand 
them!  Drear,  tragic,  unsolved  often  are  these 
problems  of  Providence,  perchance  a  death,  a 
financial  collapse,  a  moral  disaster,  a  cataclysm  of 
war;  but  Jesus  is  a  risen  Lord,  and  he  reveals 
himself  often  in  the  patient  waiting,  often  in  the 
solitude  of  sunless  hours,  often   when  the  east 


244     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

winds  have  roughened  the  seas  or  the  bugle  has 
summoned  men  to  blood  and  battle,  he  reveals,  he 
quickens  hope;  and  surely,  never  failing,  at  last 
to  the  watching  disciples  he  floods  the  soul  with 
his  shining  presence  and  quieting  assurance  and 
his  benediction  of  peace — and  there  is  sunlight 
everywhere. 

Perhaps  chiefest  of  all  is  the  spiritual  note  that 
the  resurrection  of  Jesus  sounds  in  the  event  of 
death.  And  ''  now  is  Christ  risen  from  the  dead, 
and  become  the  firstfruits  of  them  that  slept." 

Christianity  teaches  its  disciples  that  the  Chris- 
tian's death  is  a  triumph,  not  a  tragedy;  death  is 
a  dream  of  hope,  never  a  disaster;  death  is  a  vic- 
tory, never  a  verdict  of  guilt.  Oftentimes  when  I 
try  to  recall  the  happiest  days  of  life,  I  wander 
back  to  the  ecstasies  of  joy  that  came  to  me  on 
the  days  when  my  parents  went  into  the  dream  of 
hope.  My  father  had  been  preaching  the  truths 
of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  for  nearly  half  a  century, 
and  that  was  his  crowning;  she,  the  preacher's 
wife,  had  wept  and  smiled  and  lifted  and  garnered 
with  him,  and  on  that  day  she  came  into  the  vic- 
tory of  the  waving  palms. 

Death,  taught  Jesus,  is  a  sleep,  and  when  the 
day  is  dying  away  the  tired  child  climbs  into  his 
father's  arms  and  falls  asleep,  to  awake  in  the 
early  morning  in  a  world  where  he  never  grows 
weary  of  toil  and  his  work  never  rusts  with  fail- 
ure.   He  taught  too  that  the  figure  of  the  exodus 


THE    FACT    OF    THE    RESURRECTION  245 

is  the  figure  of  death.  Moses  and  Elias  spoke  of 
his  exodus,  the  passing  out  of  slavery,  life's  limi- 
tations, its  taskmaster's  scourge,  the  shrouded 
glory  of  life  through  the  dark  days  of  the  wilder- 
ness, into  the  land  of  freedom  and  days  of  dreams 
fulfilled,  and  purposes  and  plans  perfected,  and  a 
rich  land,  and  a  throne,  and  a  king  entered  upon 
his  endless  reign.    This  is  death,  teaches  Jesus. 

He  who,  in  his  boyhood,  has  watched  the  ships 
sail  out  to  sea  knows  the  figure  by  which  Paul  in- 
terprets death  to  Christianity.  "  The  time  of  my 
departure  is  at  hand."  With  the  imagination  of  a 
boy  who  was  born  near  the  sea  he  is  watching  the 
ships  unmoor.  There  they  depart,  the  ships,  cast- 
ing off  the  ropes,  the  hawsers,  the  cords  that  held 
them  fast.  They  have  unmoored.  They  drift  si- 
lently. They  spread  the  canvas  and  trim  the  sails 
for  newer  harbors,  better  harbors,  always  with 
hope,  always  seeing  golden  strands  and  quiet 
waters  overseas.  The  ship  is  lost  awhile,  and 
moors  again  beyond  the  flowing  of  the  tide,  in 
the  harbor  of  God.  This  tie  of  friendship,  the 
cares  of  home  life,  the  ropes  that  entwine  us  with 
the  earthly  things,  we  cast  off  one  by  one,  we  set 
our  sails,  and  the  waters  are  quiet  waters  and  the 
land  is  ''  the  land  of  a  fadeless  day."  Death  is 
an  unmooring. 

When  Saint  John,  the  apostle  of  love,  had  fin- 
ished his  course  and  the  call  had  come,  they  gath- 
ered about  him,  and  he  told  them  perhaps  that 

R 


246     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

death  was  a  homecoming.  ''I  go  to  prepare  a 
home  for  you,"  he  had  heard  Jesus  say,  and  John 
was  confident  in  his  fading  days  that  he  was  go- 
ing home.  Death  was  near.  And  this  was  his 
hope ;  "  Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  of  God ; 
and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be ;  but 
we  know  that  when  he  shall  appear,  we  shall  be 
like  him."  The  apostle  of  old  age  had  seen  the 
home  and  the  returning  Christ,  for  when  he  had 
led  them  as  far  as  Bethany,  he  lifted  up  his  hands 
and  blessed  them;  and  they  worshiped  as  he  was 
carried  into  heaven,  and  a  voice  said,  ''  This  same 
Jesus  (the  risen  Lord)  which  is  taken  up  from 
you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come  in  like  manner  as 
ye  have  seen  him  go." 

Perchance  he  is  near;  no  man  knows  his  time 
of  return.  The  hillsides  may  now  even  be  forests 
of  purple  glory,  Jesus  is  coming  again.  Even  so 
come,  Lord  Jesus ! 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

OF  THE 

MEMORIAL  BAPTIST  CHURCH 

OF  PHILADELPHIA 

Read  on  the  Twenty-fifth  Anniversary  of  Its  Organization 

CHARLES  H.  HARRISON 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE 
MEMORIAL  BAPTIST  CHURCH 


A  YEAR  or  two  previous  to  our  late  Civil  War  a 
young  man,  born  and  educated  in  Virginia,  was 
called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Broad  Street  Baptist 
Church  of  Philadelphia.  Coming  friendless  and 
without  prestige  to  a  city  of  strangers,  he  soon 
won  an  enviable  reputation  as  an  able,  earnest, 
and  eloquent  preacher.  From  the  beginning 
crowds  waited  on  his  ministry.  Many  conver- 
sions occurred,  and  large  additions  to  the  church 
were  made.  Soon  the  little  meeting-house  was 
constantly  filled  beyond  its  capacity,  and  ere  long 
the  question  of  new  and  enlarged  accommodations 
demanded  consideration. 

The  pastor  was  universally  beloved.  His 
manly  and  patriotic  decision  to  stand  by  the  North 
in  the  awful  struggle  for  national  existence  de- 
served, as  it  secured,  the  respect  and  admiration 
of  the  community.  The  utmost  harmony  pre- 
vailed; yet,  in  the  view  of  many,  the  horizon  of 
possible  usefulness  was  ever  widening,  and  the 
"  regions  beyond  "  constantly  invited  advance. 

In  the  spring  of  1865  a  step  forward  was  taken. 
The  Broad  Street  Baptist  Church  resolved  to  es- 

249 


250     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

tablish  a  mission  at  some  point  north  or  west  of 
their  location  at  Broad  and  Brown  streets,  in  the 
hope  that  it  might  speedily  develop  into  another 
church,  of  which  there  was  urgent  need  in  that 
quarter  of  the  city.  A  room,  known  as  "  Green 
Hill  Hall,"  at  Seventeenth  and  Poplar  streets, 
was  accordingly  secured,  where,  on  the  second  day 
of  July,  the  first  public  religious  service  was  held, 
conducted  by  the  Rev.  P.  S.  Henson,  the  pastor 
of  the  Broad  Street  Baptist  Church,  the  text  of 
whose  sermon,  "  In  due  season  ye  shall  reap  if  ye 
faint  not,"  was  prophetic  of  the  abundant  bless- 
ings which  have  followed. 

On  the  following  Sunday,  the  ninth  of  July,  a 
Sunday  School  was  organized,  and  more  than  one 
hundred  scholars  enrolled,  under  the  superinten- 
dence of  Brother  John  Barry,  assisted  by  a  corps 
of  efficient  teachers.  The  enterprise  prospered 
greatly.  Besides  the  work  of  the  school,  a  preach- 
ing service  was  maintained  on  Sunday  afternoons, 
which  was  well  attended. 

After  eighteen  months  of  successful  labor  in 
Green  Hill  Hall,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  re- 
move to  "  Athletic  Hall,"  then  just  completed, 
on  Thirteenth  Street  above  Jefferson,  a  new  and 
more  inviting  room,  and  in  a  still  more  eligible 
portion  of  the  city.  On  the  evening  of  January 
7,  1867,  the  mission  formally  took  possession  of 
its  new  home,  a  large  congregation  being  in  at- 
tendance, and  numerous  Baptist  ministers  partici- 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH,    1867-1892  25 1 

pating  in  the  exercises.  This  change  to  better 
quarters  and  to  a  more  desirable  neighborhood 
signified  the  evokition  of  a  church. 

It  might  be  well  to  remark  for  the  information 
of  the  young,  and  for  those  unfamiliar  with  the 
city  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  that  the  new  loca- 
tion of  the  mission  was  in  the  outskirts,  as  was 
the  lot  subsequently  purchased  at  Broad  and  Mas- 
ter streets  for  a  building  site.  There  were  vast 
areas  of  unoccupied  territory,  with  here  and  there 
only  an  old  farmhouse,  tumble-down  brick  shed 
or  antiquated  barn,  now  marvelously  transformed, 
as  by  a  magic  touch,  into  a  great  and  ever-grow- 
ing city. 

The  rapid  progress  of  the  mission  now  began 
to  awaken  interest  in  the  home  church  and  to  at- 
tract attention  in  denominational  circles.  It 
gradually  dawned  upon  the  sagacious  and  pro- 
gressive brethren  of  the  Broad  Street  Baptist 
Church  that  the  Lord's  time  for  a  great  advance 
movement  had  come.  They  were  confronted  by  a 
rare  oportunity  and  its  correspondent  responsi- 
bility. Soon  there  was  the  motion  of  a  new  life. 
Stagnation  gave  place  to  the  excitement  of  in- 
quiry, hope  lent  a  stimulus  to  courage,  and  a  sub- 
lime faith  in  God  and  man  rendered  victory  over 
all  obstacles  possible.  In  the  strength  of  the  Lord, 
the  pastor  and  a  goodly  number  of  the  brethren 
resolved  to  ''  go  forward." 

It  not  infrequently  happens  in  human  affairs 


252     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

that  the  lines  of  action  converge  in  what  we  call 
a  coincidence,  but  which,  in  the  last  analysis,  we 
cannot  fail  to  recognize  as  the  outcome  of  the 
guiding  touch  of  a  divine  hand. 

God's  hand  is  on  the  lever. 

Thus,  while  the  new  church  enterprise  was  tak- 
ing shape,  in  the  spring  of  1867  ^  number  of 
brethren  interested  in  the  progress  of  our  denomi- 
nation organized  the  Philadelphia  Baptist  Church 
Extension  Society,  and  raised  twenty  thousand 
dollars  for  church  extension  purposes.  They  indi- 
cated a  willingness  to  appropriate  this  amount  to 
the  field  occupied  by  the  mission  school  of  the 
Broad  Street  Baptist  Church,  provided  a  church 
should  be  organized  under  suitable  auspices. 

Hitherto  this  movement,  which  for  a  long  time 
had  been  a  frequent  subject  of  thought  and  dis- 
cussion, had  lacked  leadership  and  definiteness  of 
purpose,  but  on  the  evening  of  the  eighth  of  July 
the  first  meeting  of  the  friends  of  the  new  church 
enterprise  was  held  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Eben  C. 
Jayne,  No.  1302  North  Broad  Street.  There  were 
present  Rev.  P.  S.  Henson,  Mr.  Eben  C.  Jayne, 
Brethren  Charles  A.  Pearson,  John  Barry,  Charles 
Crossley,  Sylvester  Crossley,  Stephen  Kerns, 
David  Davis,  Jr.,  Thomas  M.  Greene,  Theo- 
dore H.  Stagers,  George  A.  Leinau,  William 
Walker,  Benjamin  F.  Fenimore,  Charles  L. 
Strawn,  William  D.  Richmond,  Jared  D.  Bitting, 


HISTORICAL   SKETCH,    1867-1892  253 

Turner  Hamilton,  William  T.  Wray,  Rev.  Levi 
G.  Beck,  and  Rev.  Charles  Griffin,  twenty  in  all; 
a  number  small,  indeed,  but  animated  by  a  high 
purpose  and  evidently  acting  under  the  guidance 
of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

At  this  meeting  the  Rev.  P.  S.  Henson,  whose 
personal  risk  in  the  event  of  failure  was  greatest, 
cheered  the  brethren  and  confirmed  them  in  their 
purpose  by  avowing  his  intention  to  join  them  in 
the  enterprise. 

Rev.  P.  S.  Henson,  William  Holloway,  Eben 
C.  Jayne,  and  Charles  A.  Pearson  were  delegated 
to  confer  with  the  Philadelphia  Baptist  Church 
Extension  Society. 

As  the  result  of  this  conference,  held  a  few 
days  subsequently,  a  building  site  was  purchased 
at  the  northeast  corner  of  Broad  and  Master 
streets,  seventy-five  feet  by  one  hundred  and  sixty 
feet,  at  a  cost  of  $22,500,  of  which  the  Philadel- 
phia Baptist  Church  Extension  Society  was  to 
pay  $20,000,  and  the  mission  $2,500. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting,  held  on  the  nineteenth 
of  August,  at  the  residence  of  Brother  David 
Davis,  Jr.,  No.  1333  Girard  Avenue,  a  plan  for 
the  proposed  chapel  was  submitted  and  adopted. 
A  building  committee  was  appointed,  consisting 
of  William  Holloway,  Eben  C.  Jayne,  George  W. 
Altemus,  Theodore  H.  Stagers,  and  Stephen 
Kerns,  to  which  Charles  N.  Selser,  John  Wal- 
lace, Bloomfield  Lore,  and  Aaron  Shaw  were  af- 


254     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

terward  added.  At  this  same  meeting  a  larger 
committee  was  appointed  to  solicit  contributions 
for  the  building  fund. 

Regular  Sunday  morning  and  evening  services 
began  to  be  held  in  Athletic  Hall  on  the  first  of 
September.  Rev.  P.  S.  Henson  occupying  the 
pulpit,  he  having  recently  resigned  the  pastorate 
of  the  Broad  Street  Baptist  Church,  with  the  view 
to  casting  in  his  lot  with  the  new  interest. 

It  thus  appears  that  the  preliminary  steps  to- 
ward the  successful  issue  of  this  noble  enterprise 
were  taken  before  the  formal  organization  of  the 
church  was  effected. 

On  Wednesday  evening,  September  i8,  1867, 
the  Memorial  Baptist  Church  was  organized  in 
Athletic  Hall,  with  one  hundred  and  eighty-five 
constituent  members,  one  hundred  and  seventy  of 
whom  were  dismissed  from  the  Broad  Street 
Church  and  fifteen  from  other  churches.  Rev.  P. 
S.  Henson  was  unanimously  elected  pastor,  and 
at  once  signified  his  acceptance.  Articles  of  faith, 
rules  and  regulations,  and  a  form  of  covenant 
were  adopted;  an  election  for  deacons  was  had, 
and  a  name  chosen.  Much  division  of  sentiment 
prevailed  with  respect  to  an  appropriate  name  for 
the  new  body.  Monumental  and  Memorial  were 
both  suggested,  with  a  view  to  commemorating 
the  fact  that  the  site  upon  which  the  new  building 
was  to  stand  was  mainly  the  gift  of  the  Philadel- 
phia Baptist  Church  Extension  Society.     It  was 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH,     1867-1892  255 

urged  that  the  considerable  gift  of  this  society, 
and  the  many  acts  of  personal  sacrifice  which  the 
enterprise  would  devolve  on  its  participants,  was 
in  the  same  category  of  loving  deeds  as  the 
beautiful  action  of  the  woman  who  broke  her  vase 
of  precious  nard  to  show  her  devotion  to  her  Lord, 
and  of  whom  he  said,  in  words  which  make  her 
name  fragrant  for  all  time,  ''  Wheresoever  this 
gospel  shall  be  preached  in  the  whole  world,  there 
shall  also  this,  that  this  woman  hath  done,  be  told 
for  a  memorial  of  her."  And  so  the  name  ''  Me- 
morial "  was  unanimously  adopted. 

As  throwing  light  upon  a  question  of  no  little 
importance,  and  one  not  infrequently  raised,  it 
may  be  interesting  to  recite  the  action  of  the 
church  at  its  organization  in  respect  to  the  method 
of  choice  for  the  diaconate.  The  minutes  re- 
cord :  "  It  was  then  resolved  to  go  into  an  elec- 
tion for  three  deacons  to  serve  until  December, 
1 87 1,  and  six  brethren  were  placed  in  nomina- 
tion. On  the  first  ballot  Brother  Barry  was 
elected ;  a  second  ballot  resulted  in  the  election  of 
Brother  Pearson.  For  the  third  deacon  there 
was  no  choice."  "  At  a  subsequent  meeting,  held 
October  30,  it  was  voted  that  two  additional  dea- 
cons be  elected  instead  of  one,  and  five  brethren 
were  nominated."  ''  Again  at  the  regular  meet- 
ing for  business,  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  Novem- 
ber, nominations  were  reopened,  and  two  names 
added  to  the  list."     The  election  was  deferred 


256     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

until  the  annual  meeting  in  December,  when 
Brethren  Greene  and  Harrison  were  chosen. 

It  seems  singular  that  with  these  precedents  be- 
fore the  church,  and  with  a  policy  thus  clearly  de- 
fined, there  should  have  been  through  all  the  sub- 
sequent years  so  wide  a  departure  from  this  early 
practice — a  departure  in  repeated  instances  result- 
ing in  no  little  injur}^ 

The  hymn  sung  at  this  historic  meeting  was 
that  good  old  sacred  song : 

'Tis  religion  that  can  give 
Sweetest  pleasure  while  we  live ; 
'Tis  religion  must  supply- 
Solid  comfort  when  we  die. 

Its  sentiment  was  the  keynote  of  the  enter- 
prise. The  motives  that  prompted  it,  the  sacrifices 
it  involved,  and  the  strong  faith  in  God  and  man 
it  demanded,  found  their  inspiration  in  that  celes- 
tial bond  that  united  the  brethren  to  each  other 
and  to  Jesus  Christ.  Their  spirit  was  not  unlike 
that  of  the  early  disciples,  who  met  with  one  ac- 
cord in  one  place,  awaiting  the  promise  of  the 
Father.  Not  strong  in  numbers,  respecting 
worldly  goods  not  richly  endowed,  yet  clear  in  the 
indications  of  divine  providence,  fortified  by  mu- 
tual sympathy,  and  sustained  by  a  common  love 
for  a  common  Lord,  the  spirit  which  animated 
them  made  failure  impossible. 

A  number  of  the  brethren  and  sisters  who  were 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH,     1867-1892  257 

profoundly  interested  in  these  early  proceedings — 
war-worn  veterans  now' — are  still  active  in  the 
church's  counsels  and  work,  but  many  have  been 
called  from  us — some  from  the  post  of  duty — and 
they  rest  in  the  everlasting  arms. 

On  the  twenty-fifth  of  September  the  church 
was  duly  recognized  by  a  council  representing  all 
the  Baptist  churches  of  Philadelphia,  convened  in 
the  meeting-house  of  the  Broad  Street  Baptist 
Church. 

In  the  early  morning  of  September  30  a  large 
number  of  members  of  the  church  and  friends  of 
the  enterprise  met  upon  the  church's  lot  at  Master 
and  Ontario  streets,  to  participate  in  the  interest- 
ing ceremony  of  breaking  ground  for  the  new 
chapel. 

On  the  twenty-sixth  of  October  the  corner- 
stone was  laid  with  appropriate  religious  services. 

The  work  on  the  building  was  necessarily  sus- 
pended during  the  winter  which  followed,  but  was 
resumed  in  the  spring  of  1868,  and  was  prose- 
cuted by  the  Building  Committee  with  as  much 
expedition  as  the  funds  contributed  would 
warrant. 

The  year  1868  was  one  of  no  small  toil  and  sac- 
rifice for  the  young  and  struggling  church,  but 
the  toil  and  sacrifice  were  abundantly  compen- 
sated by  the  hope  and  joy  which  seemed  to  fill 
all  hearts. 

It  was  a  period  of  great  financial  depression.. 


258     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

Values,  inflated  by  the  abnormal  conditions  in- 
cident to  the  Civil  War,  were  in  process  of  read- 
justment. The  burden  of  a  great  undertaking 
rested  painfully  upon  the  little  company.  Few  of 
the  brethren  were  in  affluent  circumstances;  none 
were  very  rich ;  the  large  majority  possessed  but 
limited  incomes,  yet  all  gave  heartily  and  liberally 
as  unto  the  Lord.  Not  a  few  gave  at  great  per- 
sonal sacrifice.  Many  a  weary  mile  was  walked 
that  the  hoarded  carfare  might  be  builded  into  the 
chapel  walls.  Coats  were  worn  till  the  cut  became 
antiquated  and  the  texture  threadbare;  and  dresses 
and  bonnets  made  their  wearers  look  none  the  less 
beautiful  because  worn  long  after  they  had  ceased 
to  be  a  la  mode.  Dingy  carpets  and  shabby  furni- 
ture took  on  new  beauty  as  they  were  transmuted 
into  brightness  by  the  alchemy  of  sacrifice. 

The  church's  first  letter  to  the  Philadelphia 
Baptist  Association  says :  "  Organized  under 
auspices  most  favorable  and  commencing  with 
prospects  most  promising,  we  have  nevertheless 
been  obliged  to  encounter  difficulties  and  to  make 
sacrifices,  the  thought  of  which  would  have  ap- 
palled us,  perhaps  overwhelmed  us,  had  we  known 
at  the  beginning  how  much  of  these  awaited  us." 
"  Our  current  expenses,  which  have  all  been 
promptly  paid  (there  were  no  pew-rents),  have 
amounted  to  upwards  of  $4,000,  besides  which  we 
have  paid  $2,500  of  the  purchase  money  for  the 
lot  and  $800  for  the  Nicholson  pavement,  making 


HISTORICAL   SKETCH,    1867-1892  259 

a  total  of  $33,000  raised  during  the  year,  and 
that  a  year  of  almost  unexampled  dulness  and 
depression  in  financial  circles." 

As  always,  in  connection  with  every  cause 
which  has  in  view  the  glory  of  God  and  welfare 
of  humanity,  the  women  bore  a  most  important 
part.  The  report  of  the  Building  Committee  at 
the  annual  church  meeting  in  December,  1869, 
says :  "  To  the  ladies  and  to  the  Ladies'  Chapel 
Furnishing  Fund  your  committee  and  the  church 
are  particularly  indebted.  By  their  industry  and 
good  management  in  the  fair  held  at  Concert  Hall 
in  connection  with  other  churches,  the  means  were 
obtained  to  pay  for  materials  used  during  the 
years  1867  and  1868,  and  without  which  our  en- 
trance into  the  chapel  might  have  been  delayed 
for  many  months,  probably  a  year.  So  also,  by 
their  contributions  and  by  their  fair  at  the  chapel, 
means  were  secured  to  furnish  the  same."  The 
funds  accruing  from  these  sources  aggregated 
seven  thousand  dollars. 

Incidental  to,  and  not  the  least  beneficial  con- 
sequence of,  this  self-sacrificing  work  was  the 
welding  together  of  the  membership  into  thor- 
ough acquaintance  and  homogeneity.  A  beautiful 
spirit  of  harmony  and  brotherly  kindness  domi- 
nated the  people.  Social  distinctions,  as  they 
should  always  be  in  church  fellowship,  were  prac- 
tically obliterated,  and  the  whole  body,  impelled 
by  a  common  motive  and  animated  by  a  common 


26o     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

aim,  was  thus  enabled,  under  God,  to  achieve  the 
remarkable  work  which  characterized  the  earlier 
years  of  our  history. 

The  chapel  was  so  nearly  completed  by  the  close 
of  the  year  that  on  the  night  of  the  thirty-first  of 
December  an  old-fashioned  watch-meeting  was 
held  within  its  walls.  On  the  evening  of  the 
twenty-fifth  of  January  it  was  solemnly  dedicated 
to  the  worship  of  Almighty  God,  Dr.  H.  G.  Wes- 
ton, president  of  Crozer  Theological  Seminary, 
preaching  the  sermon,  and  the  pastor  offering  the 
prayer  of  dedication. 

The  church  was  now  happily  housed  in  its 
beautiful  and  commodious  chapel,  which  had  been 
erected  at  a  cost  of  $42,384.80. 

During  the  progress  of  the  material  structure 
the  church  had  not  been  unmindful  of  the  spirit- 
ual building.  Toil  and  sacrifice  for  the  temporal 
house  seemed  but  to  quicken  effort  and  prayer  for 
the  upbuilding  of  the  house  not  made  with  hands. 
Repeatedly,  while  worshiping  in  Athletic  Hall, 
through  the  courtesy  of  the  Broad  Street  Baptist 
Church,  the  ordinance  of  baptism  was  adminis- 
tered in  their  house  of  worship.  The  years  1869 
and  1870  were  periods  of  great  spiritual  pros- 
perity. Action  and  reaction  seem  to  be  the  law  of 
the  spiritual  as  of  the  natural  harvest.  The  abun- 
dant crop  of  the  present  year  is  apt  to  be  followed 
by  the  scanty  one  of  the  next.  After  the  quiet  but 
precious  revival  of  1869  came  a  period  of  com- 


HISTORICAL   SKETCH,    1 867- 1 892  26 1 

parative  dearth  in  1870,  in  which  year  but  ten 
were  added  to  the  church  by  baptism.  This  low 
spiritual  condition  was  greatly  deplored.  The 
church  was  brought  to  her  knees.  A  day  for 
humiliation  and  prayer  was  appointed.  The 
brethren  and  sisters  met  both  jointly  and  sepa- 
rately. There  were  tears,  confessions,  and  pray- 
ers; promises  were  made  to  each  other  and  to 
God;  the  Holy  Spirit  was  invoked  as  at  Pente- 
cost, and  as  a  consequence  the  church  was  shaken 
by  divine  power.  Preaching  and  prayer  services 
were  held  every  night  except  Saturday  for  weeks 
together;  and  a  six-o'clock  morning  prayer- 
meeting,  attended  by  large  numbers,  was  sus- 
tained for  many  days.  A  mighty  spiritual  impulse 
was  imparted  to  the  church,  the  full  effect  of 
which  eternity  alone  can  reveal,  and  as  a  nu- 
merical result  one  hundred  and  one  souls  were 
added  to  the  church  ''  of  such  as  were  being 
saved." 

The  growth  of  the  church  numerically  had 
been  exceedingly  rapid;  it  had  also  grown  in  fi- 
nancial strength  in  an  equal  ratio.  The  letter  to 
the  Philadelphia  Baptist  Association,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1 87 1,  reported  five  hundred  and  twelve  mem- 
bers, an  increase  of  three  hundred  per  centum  in 
four  years.  The  congregations  had  likewise  in- 
creased, until  the  chapel  was  overcrowded;  every 
desirable  pew  on  the  lower  floor  and  several  in 
the  galleries  being  rented.  Block  after  block  and 
s 


262     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

Street  after  street  of  substantial  and  elegant  resi- 
dences had  been  built  or  were  building.  The 
church's  opportunity  had  come.  It  was  evident 
that  the  denomination  and  the  neighborhood  im- 
peratively demanded  that  the  enterprise  as  origi- 
nally conceived  in  the  thought  of  its  projectors 
should  be  carried  out.  Accordingly,  on  the  eve- 
ning of  April  17,  1872,  a  special  church  meeting 
was  called,  at  which  it  was  unanimously  decided 
to  proceed  with  the  work  of  building  as  originally 
contemplated  when  the  chapel  was  begun,  and 
committees  on  plans  and  finance  were  appointed. 

On  the  evening  of  October  21  the  Finance 
Committee  reported  a  scheme  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  church  into  an  association  to  be  known 
as  the  Memorial  Baptist  Church  Building  Asso- 
ciation ;  and  a  committee  of  twenty-five  persons 
was  named  to  canvass  the  church  for  subscrip- 
tions. As  a  result  of  this  canvass  $12,973.60  was 
subscribed,  to  be  paid  in  one  year  in  weekly  instal- 
ments. Mr.  Davis  E.  Supplee  was  chosen  archi- 
tect; and  after  much  thought  and  investigation 
by  the  Committee  on  Plans,  on  the  evening  of 
June  23,  1873,  plans  were  adopted  by  the  church, 
and  the  Building  Committee  was  instructed  to 
proceed  with  the  construction  of  the  building. 
The  contract  to  place  the  edifice  under  roof  was 
awarded  to  Mr.  Charles  D.  Supplee,  and  under  a 
subsequent  contract  the  completion  of  the  struc- 
ture was  placed  in  his  hands.    Ground  was  broken 


HISTORICAL   SKETCH,    1867-1892  263 

in  the  early  morning  of  July  3,  in  the  name  of  the 
"  Father,  and  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,"  and 
on  the  fifth  of  August  the  corner-stone  was  laid 
by  the  pastor,  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  in  the 
presence  of  a  large  concourse  of  spectators.  On 
the  evening  of  February  21,  1876,  the  completed 
edifice  was  thrown  open  for  public  inspection,  the 
occasion  being  a  grand  organ  recital.  The  dedi- 
cation services  occurred  on  the  evening  of  Wed- 
nesday, February  2;^,  a  very  large  congregation 
being  present.  The  sermon  was  preached  by  Dr. 
John  A.  Broadus,  and  the  dedicatory  prayer  was 
offered  by  the  pastor.  A  praise  and  platform 
meeting  was  held  on  the  following  evening,  in 
which  a  number  of  city  pastors  participated ;  and 
on  Friday  evening  a  sermon  was  preached  by 
Dr.  George  C.  Lorimer. 

And  so  the  house  was  finished  and  set  apart  for 
the  worship  of  Almighty  God. 

It  had  cost  $92,378.59.  Of  this  large  sum, 
$40,000  had  been  secured  on  bond  and  mortgage 
on  the  church's  property,  and  there  remained,  in 
addition,  a  floating  debt  of  $9,506.12  to  be  pro- 
vided for.  The  amounts  actually  subscribed  and 
paid  had  cost  heroic  struggle  and  sacrifice. 

The  church  chafed  under  the  burden  of  its 
enormous  debt.  Early  in  1878  a  special  commit- 
tee of  ways  and  means  reported  that  in  their 
judgment  it  was  entirely  feasible  to  organize  a 
plan  of  weekly  contributions,  under  which,  each 


264     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

member  contributing  something,  provision  would 
be  made  to  meet  the  interest,  and  from  year  to 
year  reduce  the  principal  of  the  bonded  debt. 
The  details  and  execution  of  the  plan  were  en- 
trusted to  the  Board  of  Trustees. 

The  results  of  this  method  were  entirely  inade- 
quate. The  opening  of  1880  found  the  church  in 
much  financial  embarrassment.  The  distinguish- 
ing event  of  this  year  was  the  ever  memorable 
''  debt  raising."  Meetings  had  been  held  to  de- 
vise means  to  liquidate  pressing  obligations.  The 
Board  of  Trustees  had  about  determined  to  con- 
tinue the  method  of  previous  years,  when,  in  the 
providence  of  God,  Mr.  Edward  Kimball  visited 
Philadelphia.  He  immediately  placed  himself  in 
communication  with  the  pastor,  and  at  his  invi- 
tation certain  brethren  met  him  at  the  pastor's 
residence  for  consultation.  After  prayer  and 
some  preliminary  conversation  he  almost  over- 
whelmed the  little  company  by  proposing  to  at- 
tempt immediately  by  one  extraordinary  effort  to 
free  the  Lord's  house  from  debt. 

The  impracticable  and  visionary,  under  the 
businesslike  detail  of  his  plan  and  the  contagion 
of  his  own  invincible  courage  and  faith,  soon  be- 
came the  possible  and  the  real.  Without  a  dis- 
senting voice  it  was  decided  to  make  the  attempt. 
The  interview  took  place  on  a  Saturday  evening. 
The  work  of  ''  debt  raising  "  was  begun  on  the 
following  Sunday  morning.    The  gentlemen  pres- 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH,    1867-1892  265 

ent  pledged  themselves  to  start  the  subscription 
with  such  amounts  as  they  felt  able  to  give,  and 
others  were  seen  who  agreed  to  join  in  the  move- 
ment. Two  entire  Sundays  were  devoted  to  the 
project.  Every  department  contributed  liberally. 
Quietly,  earnestly,  without  excitement  or  cant, 
the  duty  of  Christian  stewardship  was  impressed 
upon  the  hearts  and  consciences  of  the  people, 
who  for  thirteen  years  had  sacrificed  freely  for 
the  cause.  An  undercurrent  of  deep  enthusiasm 
prevailed.  Those  who  at  first  believed  they  could 
contribute  but  little,  as  the  work  went  on  counted 
it  a  joy  to  join  heartily  in  this  last  supreme  effort. 
At  the  close  of  the  evening  of  the  second  Sunday 
$45,196.25  had  been  pledged,  and  in  two  years, 
with  a  very  slight  percentage  of  loss,  the  pledges 
had  been  redeemed. 

Thus  in  a  period  of  thirteen  years,  besides  ex- 
penditures for  current  expense  account,  and  the 
annual  contributions  to  the  various  objects  of 
benevolence,  which  with  the  growth  of  the  church 
had  increased  from  year  to  year  until  they  equaled 
the  gifts  of  the  strongest  churches,  more  than 
$150,000  had  been  expended  on  buildings  and 
ground  alone,  a  munificence  of  giving  that  up  to 
that  time  was  unparalleled  in  our  denomination  in 
this  vicinity. 

The  success  of  Doctor  Henson's  ministry  and 
its  crowning  triumph  in  bringing  to  completion 
our  noble  edifice  had  given  him  a  national  reputa- 


266     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE   IN    CHRISTIANITY 

tion.  Numerous  were  the  calls,  tempting  the  of- 
fers, urgent  the  solicitations  to  other  fields  and 
pastorates. 

In  1879,  greatly  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
church,  he  declined  a  call  to  the  presidency  of 
Lewisburg  (now  Bucknell)  University,  to  which 
he  had  been  unanimously  elected.  On  the  eve- 
ning of  November  25,  1 881,  the  pastor  announced 
that  he  had  been  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church  of  Chicago,  111.  After  stat- 
ing various  reasons  which  made  him  apprehend 
that  duty  demanded  his  acceptance  of  the  call,  he 
concluded  by  tendering  his  resignation,  to  take 
effect  December  31.  The  church  declined  to  ac- 
cept the  resignation,  and  earnestly  requested  its 
reconsideration,  which  he  consented  to  make. 

In  a  very  tender  communication,  dated  Decem- 
ber 2,  among  many  other  things  he  says :  "  Such 
a  request,  preferred  at  such  a  time  and  urged  with 
so  much  tenderness  of  affection,  I  felt  I  did  not 
dare  to  refuse.  Since  then  there  has  been  such 
an  uncovering  of  the  depths  of  feeling  in  your 
hearts  towards  one  who  keenly  realizes  his  great 
unworthiness  of  such  devotion  that  my  own  heart 
has  been  overwhelmed  within  me.  .  .  I  cannot 
but  feel,  still  following  the  inward  suggestions  of 
duty  and  the  outward  indications  of  Providence, 
that  the  Lord  does  not  require  at  his  hands  the 
sacrifice  which  he  supposed,  but  only  required 
that  he  be  willing  to  make  it.    It  is  therefore  with 


HISTORICAL   SKETCH,    1 867- 1 892  267 

exceeding  joy  that  I  feel  myself  at  liberty  to  with- 
draw the  resignation  which  I  tendered  a  week 
ago." 

But  the  brethren  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Chicago  were  persistent.  Certain  radical  changes 
in  the  constitution  of  the  church  and  a  general  re- 
construction of  its  organization,  which  he  had  in- 
sisted upon,  had  been  substantially  accomplished. 
Concerning  the  changes,  which  had  seemed  to  be 
carried  out  with  marked  unanimity,  he  was  led 
to  believe  there  had  occurred  "  a  decided  revul- 
sion of  feeling  and  opinion,  and  that  they  were 
regarded  with  disfavor,  even  though  they  had 
been  adopted."  He  therefore,  at  the  close  of 
communion  service,  February  11,  1882,  again 
tendered  his  resignation.  The  communication 
closes  as  follows :  '^  I  am  now  entirely  satisfied 
the  time  has  fully  come  when  I  can  do  better  in 
another  field  and  you  can  do  better  with  another 
man,  and  so  I  tender  you  my  resignation,  to  take 
effect  March  15,  1882;  and  while  I  shall  never 
cease  to  love  and  pray  for  you,  I  desire  very  affec- 
tionately and  explicitly  to  say  that  my  purpose 
in  this  regard  is  unalterably  fixed." 

Thus  terminated  a  pastorate  of  exceptional 
power.  Viewed  from  any  standpoint  its  success 
was  remarkable.  Magnificent  in  its  material 
achievements,  it  was  yet  more  glorious  in  its 
spiritual  results.  In  a  little  more  than  fourteen 
years  it  was  his  privilege  to  baptize  four  hundred 


268     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

and  forty-one  persons  into  the  fellowship  of  the 
church. 

There  were  three  prominent  characteristics  in 
Doctor  Henson's  pastorate  which,  under  God, 
will  account  for  its  success.  The  first,  for  want 
of  a  better  term,  might  be  called  his  zimisomeness. 
Old  and  young  were  alike  attracted  to  him  by  the 
warmth  of  his  natural  disposition.  He  lived  in  a 
sunny  atmosphere,  and  the  church  and  commu- 
nity delighted  in  his  brightness  and  cheer.  In  his 
daily  intercourse  there  was  the  perpetual  sparkle 
of  an  irrepressible  wit,  and  a  kindliness  of  mood 
that  rendered  him  accessible  to  all.  He  did  not 
stalk  aloft  on  intellectual  stilts,  but  was  one  with 
the  multitude,  and,  like  his  Lord,  '*  the  common 
people  heard  him  gladly." 

Another  characteristic  was  the  quality  of  his 
preaching.  His  sermons,  as  literary  productions, 
were  fresh,  original,  and  bristling  with  points. 
Revealing  a  rare  gift  of  imagination,  a  vocabu- 
lary of  unusual  range,  and  a  fine  poetic  feeling, 
many  of  his  sermons  were  poems  in  prose,  need- 
ing but  the  measured  rhythm  of  verse  to  con- 
stitute them  poetry. 

A  natural  orator,  he  disdained  the  arts  of  the 
elocutionist,  and  w^on  the  people  by  his  natural- 
ness, while  he  touched  them  by  his  pathos  and 
swayed  them  at  will  by  his  eloquence. 

But  the  chief  and  most  potent  characteristic  of 
his   pastorate   was    the   uplifting   of   the    Cross. 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH,    1867-1892  269 

Christ  was  always  the  central  thought,  the  con- 
stant theme  of  his  preaching.  It  was  always  Ecce 
Homo  with  him.  Whether  he  moved  his  audi- 
ence to  smiles  or  tears,  the  climax  of  his  discourse 
was  the  face  of  Him  whose  visage  was  more 
marred  than  any  man's — Christ  our  Example, 
our  Saviour,  our  King. 

On  the  seventeenth  of  February  Doctor  Hen- 
son's  resignation  was  accepted.  On  March  30 
the  Pulpit  Committee  recommended  that  the 
church  invite  Rev.  Wayland  Hoyt,  D.  D.,  pastor 
of  the  Strong  Place  Baptist  Church,  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  to  occupy  the  pulpit  with  a  view  to  his 
consideration  of  a  call.  This  somewhat  unusual 
recommendation  was  adopted,  and  on  Sunday, 
May  14,  morning  and  evening,  he  preached  with 
great  acceptance  to  large  congregations.  On 
May  22,  at  a  very  large  and  enthusiastic  meeting, 
a  unanimous  call  to  the  pastorate  was  extended  to 
him,  which  was  accepted  on  the  sixteenth  of  June, 
with  the  understanding  that  the  official  relation 
should  begin  July  i. 

The  Associational  letter  of  this  year,  referring 
to  the  beginning  of  Doctor  Hoyt's  ministry,  says : 
"Already  the  future  is  'big  with  promise.' 
Great  congregations,  unusual  interest  in  the 
ministrations  of  the  word,  and  plans  developing 
for  a  thorough  and  efficient  organization  of  all 
the  activities  of  the  church,  indicate  that  God  has 
sent  us  the  man  of  his  choice." 


270     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

The  chapel,  originally  built  with  special  refer- 
ence to  public  worship,  had  long  been  found  in- 
convenient for  the  Sunday  School  and  various 
social  and  other  requirements.  This  had  not  es- 
caped the  discernment  of  the  pastor,  and  soon 
after  his  settlement  the  question  of  its  alteration 
to  meet  the  pressing  necessities  of  the  work 
claimed  his  attention.  On  March  27,  1883,  the 
Board  of  Trustees,  having  had  the  matter  under 
advisement,  reported  to  the  church  that  no  altera- 
tion would  be  wise  or  economical  that  did  not  in- 
clude accommodations  for  all  the  various  depart- 
ments, and  were  directed  to  proceed  immediately 
with  the  proposed  alterations.  The  work  was 
begun  in  July  and  completed  in  the  following 
October  at  a  cost,  including  the  furnishing,  of 
$8,966.99. 

The  first  year  of  the  new  pastorate  was  one  of 
steady  growth.  Improvement  was  manifest  in 
all  lines  of  work. 

From  its  organization  the  Sunday  School  had 
carried  on  its  operations  without  fixed,  often  with 
uncertain,  and  always  with  inadequate,  provision 
for  its  financial  support.  The  brethren  who  freely 
gave  their  time  and  thought  to  the  exacting  work 
of  this  department  wxre  compelled  to  bear  the 
burden  of  its  financial  management  as  well.  But 
the  rosy  morn  of  a  brighter  day  was  dawning. 
November  2y,  1885,  in  response  to  a  com- 
munication from  the  Sunday  School  reciting  its 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH,    1867-1892  27I 

needs  and  its  claims  upon  the  church  for  support, 
it  was  declared  ''  that  it  is  the  duty  of  the  church 
to  provide  means  for  the  current  expenses  of  the 
Sunday  School."  It  was  at  first  attempted  to 
obtain  the  necessary  funds  by  systematic  weekly 
contributions,  but  this  not  proving  satisfactory, 
for  several  years  a  liberal  appropriation  by  the 
Board  of  Trustees  has  been  made  from  the 
regular  revenue. 

This  most  wise  step  was  the  recognition  of  a 
principle  now  coming  to  be  generally  accepted, 
viz.,  that  the  Sunday  School  is  the  church  work- 
ing in  this  capacity,  and  as  such  is  entitled  to  the 
financial  support  and  fostering  care  of  the  whole 
body. 

It  was  also  a  gracious  return  for  the  generous 
gifts  of  the  Sunday  School  in  connection  with  the 
church's  building  operations.  These  aggregated 
several  thousand  dollars.  For  the  Sunday  School 
points  with  pardonable  pride  to  the  serpentine 
stone  in  church  and  chapel  walls,  to  a  considerable 
contribution  toward  the  organ  fund,  and  to  a 
large  donation  that  helped  on  the  triumph  of  the 
great  "  debt  raising." 

''  He  loveth  our  nation  and  hath  built  us  a 
synagogue  "  was  the  encomium  passed  upon  the 
noble  centurion  by  his  fellow  townsmen  of  Ca- 
pernaum. In  some  such  esteem  the  church  holds 
Mr.  Eben  C.  Jayne,  who  from  the  very  inception 
of  the  church  and  through  all  its  subsequent  his- 


2.J2     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

tory  has  been  one  of  its  warmest  friends  and  most 
liberal  contributors.  In  addition  to  his  many 
generous  gifts,  early  in  1886  he  deeded  to  the 
church  a  large  collection  of  well-selected  books, 
to  be  used  in  perpetuity  as  a  free  library.  This 
library,  known  as  the  ''  Jayne  Library  for 
Adults,"  has  been  increased  from  time  to  time 
through  his  continued  generosity,  and  is  a  source 
of  great  pleasure  and  profit  to  its  numerous 
patrons. 

1887  was  remarkable  as  exhibiting  the  largest 
increase  by  baptism  of  any  year  except  one,  sixty- 
nine  having  been  received  by  this  ordinance. 
Deep  religious  interest  pervaded  all  departments. 
This  year  the  church  mourned  the  death  of 
Thomas  U.  Walter,  LL.  D.,  the  first  and  only 
member  of  its  Board  of  Deacons  in  a  quarter  of 
a  century  to  pass  from  service  here  to  service 
yonder. 

Deacon  Walter  closed  a  long  and  useful  life 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-four.  For  many 
years  he  faithfully  served  the  church.  He 
achieved  lasting  reputation  as  architect  of  Girard 
College  and  of  the  Capitol  extension  at  Washing- 
ton. Though  much  of  his  time  was  spent  with 
the  gifted  and  great,  he  was  yet  true  to  his  de- 
nominational principles.  A  sincere  and  simple- 
hearted  Christian,  though  erecting  great  earthly 
temples,  he  was  continually  building  upon  the 
''  one  foundation  "  an  eternal  structure  of  ''  gold, 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH,    1867-1892  273 

silver,  and  precious  stones,"  that  will  outlast  the 
noble  yet  perishable  monuments  of  his  earthly 
fame. 

Early  in  1888  a  call  was  extended  to  Pastor 
Hoyt  by  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  which  he  declined.  While  this  call  was 
under  consideration  he  frankly  stated  to  the 
brethren  that  he  deemed  the  employment  of  a 
missionary  for  parish  work  and  the  enlargement 
of  the  Board  of  Deacons  indispensable  to  the 
highest  church  efficiency.  In  pursuance  of  the 
pastor's  suggestion,  on  February  3  the  choice 
and  regulation  of  the  work  of  a  missionary  was 
delegated  to  the  deacons.  The  salary  was  to  be 
provided  by  voluntary  contributions.  It  being 
thought  inadvisable  to  press  the  matter  just  then, 
at  the  pastor's  suggestion,  and  by  common  con- 
sent, the  subject  was  temporarily  postponed. 

On  March  2^  three  additional  deacons  were 
chosen. 

The  deacons,  in  their  annual  report,  December 
20,  in  suggesting  the  need  for  more  aggressive 
work,  say :  "  Mission  work  is  what  we  need  to 
do.  Our  church,  as  a  great  central  heart,  should 
send  out  the  pulsations  of  her  life  to  the  destitute 
places  of  our  city.  Our  church,  cradled  in  a 
stable  like  her  Lord,  began  her  existence  as  a  mis- 
sion. She  is  a  wonderful  illustration  of  the 
results  of  mission  work,"  etc. 

The  suggestion  of  the  report  was  referred  to 


274     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

a  committee,  and  the  prosperous  mission  at 
Eighteenth  and  York  streets  was  the  outcome  of 
this  action. 

During  the  summer  of  1889  alarming  rumors 
reached  the  brethren  from  Minneapolis,  where 
Doctor  Hoyt  was  spending  his  vacation  and  sup- 
plying the  pulpit  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  in 
effect  that  an  invitation  to  the  pastorate  had  been 
extended  to  him  and  was  receiving  favorable  con- 
sideration. As  the  church  had  no  official  or  defi- 
nite information  of  the  truth  of  these  rumors  no 
action  was  taken. 

On  the  fifteenth  of  November  he  submitted  his 
resignation,  in  which,  among  other  things,  he 
says :  ''  After  the  most  anxious  and  conscientious 
thought  possible  for  me,  I  have  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that,  everything  considered,  without  be- 
ing, I  hope,  in  the  least  unmindful  of  the  oppor- 
tunity here,  I  can  do  largest  and  most  effi- 
cient work  for  the  Lord's  kingdom  in  Minneapo- 
lis. Actuated  solely  by  the  motives  indicated,  I 
hereby  tender  my  resignation  of  the  pastorate  of 
this  church,  to  take  effect  after  the  second  Sunday 
in  December,  or  earlier." 

The  resignation  was  referred  to  the  Board  of 
Deacons,  who,  on  the  twenty-first  of  November, 
submitted  to  the  church  a  paper  of  suggestions, 
touching  various  questions  considered  vital  by 
Doctor  Hoyt,  which  they  hoped,  if  adopted, 
would  induce  its  reconsideration. 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH,    1867-1892  2/5 

The  suggestions  were  adopted,  and  a  committee 
was  appointed  to  convey  to  him  the  report  of  the 
action  taken  by  the  church. 

After  most  prayerful  dehberation,  on  the  sixth 
of  December,  in  a  communication  to  the  church 
he  says:  "  You  may  be  sure  I  have  given  the  ac- 
tion of  the  church  and  the  most  kind  communica- 
tion of  the  committee  all  the  consideration  possi- 
ble in  the  circumstances,  but  as  the  case  now 
stands,  in  view  of  other  obligations  and  opportu- 
nities, and  after  most  prayerful  and  careful  search 
for  light  and  leading,  it  does  not  seem  to  me  that 
I  can  honorably  withdraw  my  resignation." 

Doctor  Hoyt's  ministry  bore  the  impress  of  his 
strong  personality.  In  the  church,  in  society, 
among  the  ministry  of  our  own  and  other  denomi- 
nations, he  was  characterized  by  a  sturdiness  and 
individuality  which  commanded  recognition  and 
respect.  True  to  his  convictions,  he  was  fearless 
in  their  expression,  and  was  esteemed  as  much  for 
what  he  was  as  for  what  he  said. 

As  a  leader  he  possessed  a  rare  facility  in  mov- 
ing and  influencing  men ;  a  definiteness  of  purpose 
that  kept  the  end  ever  in  view;  and  a  cheerful 
patience  which  sought  to  control  by  conviction 
rather  than  by  compulsion. 

Naturally  diffident,  some  thought  him  reserved, 
but  to  those  who  knew  him  best  he  was  a  man  of 
kindly  impulses,  noble  aspirations,  and  Christly 
life. 


2yG     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

His  preaching  was  masterful.  Few  men  have 
so  thoroughly  understood  the  art  of  public  speech. 
Conscientious  in  his  preparation,  he  had  for  his 
work  the  passion  of  the  artist,  and  his  sermons, 
though  always  artistic,  were  never  artificial. 
Employing  the  illustrative  method  of  treatment, 
his  style  was  exceedingly  picturesque,  if  the 
phrase  may  be  allowed,  and  his  lucubrations  were 
replete  with  the  results  of  his  wide  reading  and 
careful  study.  Science,  art,  literature,  biography, 
anecdote,  travel — all  sources  were  drawn  upon 
and  made  tributary  to  the  one  end  of  making  clear 
the  thought  and  impressing  the  hearer. 

It  was  also  eminently  practical.  He  individual- 
ized his  audience.  Usually,  his  sermon  possessed 
the  directness  and  efficacy  of  a  personal  appeal. 
Evangelistic  work  was  his  delight.  His  services 
were  sought  by  his  brethren  in  the  ministry,  whom 
he  was  ever  pleased  to  aid,  and  in  the  pulpit  and 
inquiry-room  he  was  greatly  blessed  in  bringing 
souls  to  Christ.  In  after-meetings  and  special 
services,  as  he  went  from  person  to  person,  few 
escaped  his  word  of  warning,  entreaty,  or  invita- 
tion. It  was  a  principle  of  his  ministry  to  expect 
results,  and  in  a  pastorate  of  less  than  eight  years 
three  hundred  and  nineteen  souls  were  added  to 
the  church  in  baptism. 

On  the  ninth  of  December  Doctor  Hoyt's  resig- 
nation was  accepted,  and  the  services  of  Rev.  E. 
G.  Robinson,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  were  immediately  se- 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH,     1867-1892  2/7 

cured  as  permanent  supply,  who  for  a  period  of 
more  than  nine  months  occupied  the  pulpit. 

The  church  owes  much  to  the  short  ministry  of 
Doctor  Robinson.  His  profound  and  original 
thought,  his  searching  and  exact  analysis,  his  pre- 
cise and  elegant  use  of  language,  and  his  lucid 
and  able  expositions  of  truth,  afforded  an  in- 
tellectual and  spiritual  uplift  which  is  not  yet 
forgotten. 

It  was  an  inspiration  and  joy  to  sit  at  the  feet 
of  this  great  and  good  man,  whose  hoary  head 
and  dignified  bearing  lent  weight  to  the  words 
in  which  he  clothed  the  thoughts  and  experiences 
of  his  long  and  studious  life. 

Sunday,  March  i6,  1890,  by  invitation,  Rev. 
T.  Edwin  Brown,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the  First  Bap- 
tist Church,  Providence,  R.  I.,  preached  morning 
and  evening,  and  was  received  with  much  enthu- 
siasm. 

On  March  20  a  unanimous  call  to  the  pastorate 
was  extended  to  him,  which  was  accepted  on  the 
eighteenth  of  May,  to  take  effect  August  i,  ser- 
vice for  the  church  to  begin  October  i. 

In  his  communication  to  the  church  he  says : 
''  I  need  not  assure  you  of  my  sense  of  the  honor 
put  upon  me  in  your  call,  and  in  the  manner  in 
which  it  was  given.  I  know  I  may  depend  upon 
your  love  and  sympathy,  your  prayers  and  your 
constant  cooperation.  Your  action  is  a  pledge 
that  I  shall  have  all  these,  and  your  history  a 


2yd>     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

guaranty  that  this  pledge  will  be  fulfilled.  But 
my  chief  dependence  for  any  successful  work 
with  you  is  upon  the  presence  and  blessing  of 
God." 

Doctor  Brown's  ministry  began  most  aus- 
piciously. Immediately  there  was  marked  in- 
crease in  the  attendance,  and  improvement  in  the 
spiritual  tone,  of  the  Friday  evening  prayer- 
meeting,  which  had  fallen  off  in  numbers  and 
interest  during  the  vacancy  in  the  pastorate.  A 
quiet  work  of  grace  progressed  during  the  year, 
resulting  in  thirty-four  baptisms,  as  against  seven 
the  previous  year,  the  smallest  number  of  any  year 
in  our  annals. 

The  Board  of  Deacons  in  their  annual  report 
say :  "  Our  pastor's  ministry  has  been  character- 
ized by  a  most  earnest  and  faithful  discharge  of 
the  duties  of  his  office,  and  by  the  use  of  methods 
eminently  dignified  and  conservative.  There  has 
been  on  his  part  a  studious  refusal  to  adopt  the 
so-called  popular  and  sensational  style  of  dispens- 
ing the  gospel  so  often  employed  at  the  expense  of 
good  taste,  sound  instruction,  and  all  the  sancti- 
ties of  a  holy  calling.  Scholarly,  thoughtful,  elo- 
quent, spiritual,  our  pastor's  pulpit  ministrations 
have  helped  and  strengthened  his  people  amid  the 
work  and  worry  of  their  daily  life." 

The  mission  established  in  1889  at  Eighteenth 
and  Dauphin  streets  had  struggled  on  under  great 
difficulties  and  discouragements.     The  little  com- 


HISTORICAL   SKETCH,    1867-1892  279 

pany  of  workers  had  labored  with  zeal  and 
fidelity,  but  from  the  outset  were  hindered  by 
unsuitable  and  limited  accommodations. 

On  June  8,  1891,  in  a  communication  from  the 
Executive  Board  of  the  Philadelphia  Baptist  City 
Mission  Society,  a  proposal  was  made  to  purchase 
"  a  lot  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Eighteenth  and 
York  streets  suitable  for  a  mission  of  the  Memo- 
rial Baptist  Church,  located  at  Eighteenth  and 
Dauphin  streets,  provided  that  the  church  erect 
thereon  a  suitable  building,  to  cost  not  less  than 
five  thousand  dollars."  The  proposal  was 
promptly  accepted,  and  on  Sunday  morning,  June 
28,  a  public  subscription  was  taken  amounting  to 
nearly  six  thousand  dollars.  After  some  un- 
avoidable delay  building  operations  were  begun. 
A  neat  and  convenient  chapel  is  now  ready  for 
dedication,  alike  creditable  to  the  church  and  to 
the  denomination.  It  will  doubtless  meet  all  the 
requirements  of  the  locality  for  several  years. 
Under  the  charge  of  Rev.  Enoch  Fullaway  the 
mission  is  doing  ef^cient  work,  and,  with  the 
blessing  of  God,  has  a  prosperous  future  before  it. 

Sunday  morning,  October  9,  1892,  the  presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  in  behalf  of  the 
trustees  and  deacons,  submitted  a  financial  state- 
ment, in  which  it  appeared  that  there  was  charged 
against  the  church  an  accumulation  of  indebted- 
ness, much  of  which  was  of  long  standing,  in- 
cluding requirements  to  close  the  fiscal  year,  ag- 


280     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

g-reg-ating  $5,650.  This,  with  the  necessary  ex- 
penses attending  the  anniversary,  which  would 
probably  accrue  before  the  close  01  the  fiscal  year, 
made  a  total  approximating  $6,500,  which  it  was 
deemed  advisable,  in  view  of  the  contemplated 
celebration  of  her  twenty-fifth  anniversary,  to 
liquidate. 

The  suggestion  met  with  an  iinmediate  and 
hearty  response.  A  subscription  was  at  once 
started,  and  the  entire  amount  has  been  secured. 
The  church,  therefore,  on  her  "  jubilee  day  "  will 
''  owe  no  man  anything."  Her  debts  will  all  have 
been  paid  or  ample  provision  made  to  pay  them. 

The  church  stands  upon  the  threshold  of  Pas- 
tor Brown's  ministry.  It  remains  for  her,  with 
him,  to  open  wide  the  door  to  "  nobler  issues  than 
ever  she  has  known  before."  She  could  haye  no 
more  capable  leader,  if  she  will  but  follow  him. 
A  refined  and  courteous  gentleman,  a  kind  and 
sympathetic  pastor,  he  is,  at  the  same  time,  an 
able  teacher  and  eloquent  preacher.  His  sermons 
are  models  alike  in  diction,  arrangement,  and 
grasp  of  truth.  Never  superficial,  he  is  always 
profound,  seeking  the  principles  involved  in  his 
text ;  and  his  practical  lessons,  as  fruit,  grow  natu- 
rally out  of  the  principles.  His  theology  is  as 
broad  as  his  Master's,  for  he  teaches  the  possible 
good  in  every  soul,  and  an  atonement  comprehen- 
sive enough  to  include  every  son  of  Adam.  To  sit 
under    his    ministry    is    an    education    in    social 


HISTORICAL   SKETCH,    1867-1892  281 

science,  moral  philosophy,  and  theology,  which, 
from  his  point  of  view,  are  nothing  more  than 
"  applied  Christianity."  An  earnest  seeker  after 
truth  and  a  logical  thinker,  he  ignores  the  sensa- 
tionalisms of  the  day,  and  seeks  to  instruct  rather 
than  to  amuse,  to  elevate  rather  than  to  entertain. 
May  the  blessing  of  God  rest  upon  his  ministry. 

STATISTICS 

The  following  table  of  statistics  shows  expendi- 
tures from  organization  to  date : 

Home  Church  Expenses $243,582.40 

Beneficence 99,017.89 

Buildings 167,083.13 

Total $509,683.42 

The  following  table  of  statistics  shows  num- 
ber of  members  received  from  organization  to 
date: 

Constituent  Members 185 

Received  by  Baptism 844 

"    Letter 743 

"  "    Experience 42 

Total 1814 


COMMEMORATION 
TWENTY-FIFTH  ANNIVERSARY 
MEMORIAL  BAPTIST  CHURCH 


1867  1892 

COMMEMORATION 

OF  THE 

TWENTY-FIFTH  ANNIVERSARY 

OF  THE 

MEMORIAL  BAPTIST  CHURCH 

OF  PHILADELPHIA 
Organized  September  1 8,  1 867 

T.  Edwin  Brown,  D.  D.,  Pastor. 

Mrs.  J.  M.  Corbin,  Organist  and  Director. 
Miss  Theodora  B.  Wormley,  Soprano. 
Miss  Laura  Ericson,  Alto. 
Henry  Graff,  Tenor. 
James  G.  Alexander,  Bass. 

Committee  on  Anniversary 

Theodore  C.  Search,         Samuel  G.  Lewis, 
William  Holloway,  Edwin  J.  Howlett, 

Eben  C.  Jayne,  Charles  H.  Harrison, 

Thomas  M.  Greene,  Charles  A.  Pearson, 

Robert  M.  Mackay. 

285 


286     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

THE  HISTORICAL  SERVICE. 

Wednesday,  October  26,  1892,  7.30  p.  m. 
{Corner-stone  of  the  Chapel  laid  October  26,  186/.) 

ORDER  OF  SERVICE. 

ORGAN   PRELUDE,  "Overture  to  Zampa  " . . . .  Herold. 

ANTHEM,   "  Christians   Awake  " Schnecker. 

DOXOLOGY,  "Praise   God   from  Whom  All   Blessings 
Flow." 

THE  LORD'S  PRAYER Pastor  and  Congregation. 

SCRIPTURE  LESSON. 

HYMN.     (421  Baptist  Hymnal.) 

"  Onward,  Christian  Soldiers." 

PRAYER George  Dana  Boardman,  D.  D. 

ANTHEM,  "  Chime,  Ye  Bells  of  Heaven  " Shelly. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH 

BY 

DEACON  CHARLES  H.  HARRISON 

ANTHEM,  "  Hallelujah  " Handel. 

PRAYER  AND  BENEDICTION. 

ORGAN  POSTLUDE,  "  Offertoire  in  C  Minor  "..  Batiste. 


TWENTY-FIFTH    ANNIVERSARY  287 

THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  SERVICE. 

Thursday,  October  27,  7.30  p.  m, 

ORDER  OF  SERVICE. 

1.  OVERTURE Orchestra. 

2.  SINGING,  "  Glory  to  God  " School. 

3.  INVOCATION, 

Praise,  "  The  Lord  hath  done  great  things  for  us." 

4.  SINGING,  "  I  was  Glad  " School. 

5.  ADDRESS The  Pastor. 

6.  SINGING,  "Praise  the  Lord" School. 

7.  ADDRESSES     BY     FORMER     SUPERINTEN- 

DENTS. 

8.  SINGING,  "Welcome  Song" Primary  School. 

9.  JUBILEE  EXERCISE... Primary  and  Intermediate 

Schools.    Written  for  this  occasion  by  Miss  Lizzie 
Rawlings. 

10.  ADDRESSES     BY     FORMER     SUPERINTEN- 

DENTS. 

11.  MUSIC Orchestra. 

12.  SINGING,  "Great  King  of  Glory,  Come  "....  Branch 

School. 

13.  ADDRESSES     BY     FORMER     SUPERINTEN- 

DENTS. 

14.  SINGING,  "  Standing  at  the  Portal " School. 

15.  BENEDICTION. 


288     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

Written  for  the  Twenty-fifth  Anniversary. 

Memorial  school  is  gathered  here  to-night, 
Enriched  and  blessed  beyond  all  power  to  tell ; 
Maintained  by  God's  right  hand;  in  Him  we  dwell. 
Our  God  hath  led  us  in  a  pathway  bright, 
Revealed  Himself  to  us  in  marvelous  light. 
In  Him  we  trust,  to  Him  we  give  all  praise, 
All  honor,  for  'tis  He  hath  crowned  our  days ; 
Let  all  the  glory  be  whence  came  the  might. 

So  shall  we  ever  onward,  upward  go ; 

Content  to  follow  as  He  shows  the  way, 

He'll  lead  us  to  a  yet  more  perfect  day. 

Oh,  let  us  seek  His  holy  will  to  know, 

On  Him  depend  for  strength  to  live  and  grow; 

Love,  honor,  serve  Him  who  hath  been  our  stay. 


SOCIAL  SERVICE. 

Friday,  October  28,  8.00  p.  m. 

A  social  reunion  of  the  church  and  congregation  and 
former  members. 

ANNIVERSARY  SUNDAY. 

Sunday,  October  30. 

PUBLIC  WORSHIP  10.30  a.  m. 

Sermon  by P.  S.  HENSON,  D.  D. 

Our  pastor  from  1867  to  1882. 

ANTHEM,    "This    is    the    Day    Which    the    Lord    Hath 
Made  " Holden. 

OFFERTORY,  "  Sing,  O  Daughter  of  Zion  " Gadsby. 


TWENTY-FIFTH    ANNIVERSARY  289 

PUBLIC  WORSHIP  7.30  p.  m. 

Sermon  by WAYLAND  HOYT,  D.  D. 

Our  pastor  from  1882  to  1889. 

ANTHEM,  "  Lift  Up  Your  Heads  " Schnecker. 

OFFERTORY,  "O  Glorious  Night" Shelly. 

CALENDAR  FOR  THE  WEEK. 
Beginning  Sunday,  October  30. 
SUNDAY.— 2.30  Sunday  School. 

2.30  Mission    School,    Eighteenth    and    York 
streets. 
MONDAY. — 3.00  Woman's  Prayer-meeting. 
7.30  Jayne  Library  Open. 
8.00  Monthly   Meeting  of    Pastor   and   Dea- 
cons. 
TUESDAY.— 8.00  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor. 
WEDNESDAY.— 2.30  "  The  Dorcas." 
FRIDAY. — 7.45  Prayer  and  Conference  Meeting. 
SUNDAY,  Nov.  6. —  9.30  Prayer-meeting. 

10.30  Public   Worship,   conducted   by 
the  Pastor. 
Topic  :    "  A    Church    of    Jesus 
Christ — Its    Mission    and    Its 
Spirit." 
7,30  Public    Worship,    conducted    by 
the  Pastor. 
Pastor's     Monthly     Talk     with 

Young  People, 
Topic  :   "  Recreations   and  Dis- 
sipations." 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

OF  THE 

MEMORIAL  BAPTIST  CHURCH 

1892-1917 
EDITH  M.  CA55ELBERRY 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE 

MEMORIAL  BAPTIST   CHURCH, 

1892-1917 


To  Stand  on  the  mountaintop  of  experience  and 
take  a  survey  over  fifty  years  that  lie  behind  in- 
volves many  deep  and  heart-searching  memories, 
and  when  it  is  the  privilege  of  a  church  to  occupy 
such  a  position  the  significance  of  the  event  far 
outweighs  that  of  any  individual. 

Journeying  back  through  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury in  order  to  meet  the  historian  of  the  first 
twenty-five  years  half-way,  we  find  ourselves  in 
restrospect  inhaling  the  refined  and  spiritual 
ozone  of  Dr.  T.  Edwin  Brown's  incomparable 
sermons,  and  being  reverently  educated  by  him 
in  the  supreme  art  of  prayer.  At  this  time 
Sunday-morning  prayer-meetings  were  conducted 
regularly  in  the  pastor's  study,  before  the  chapel 
was  remodeled.  It  was  as  if  this  hour  were  set 
apart  for  the  church  to  observe  family  worship., 
when  the  word  of  God  was  read,  a  hymn  or  two 
were  sung,  and  the  balance  of  the  time  was  spent 
in  invoking  God's  blessing  on  the  day. 

Not  only  was  the  home-field  blessed,  but  the 

mission    at    Eighteenth    and    York    streets    also 

showed     continuous     and    steady    growth,     the 

u  293 


294     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

preaching  and  church  work  at  this  place  being 
then  conducted  by  Rev.  Harrison  B.  Garner. 
Having  been  prospered  to  the  extent  of  outgrow- 
ing its  quarters,  a  commodious  building  was 
erected,  suitably  adapted  to  the  needs  of  a  strong 
and  self-supporting  church;  and  when  in  1896 
it  was  successfully  launched  as  an  independent 
organ  under  the  name  of  the  Bethlehem  Baptist 
Church  it  was  felt  that  the  mother  church  had 
not  assumed  the  great  responsibility  in  vain. 
Nor  was  her  period  of  sacrifice  over  on  its  be- 
half, for  at  that  time  a  noble  band  of  some  of 
her  most  devout  and  faithful  members  severed 
their  connection  with  the  ''  old  home  church." 
in  order  to  contribute  to  the  upbuilding  of  the 
new  church  at  Eighteenth  and  York  streets. 

Among  these  were  Mr.  H.  N.  McKinney,  who 
assumed  charge  of  the  Bible  School ;  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  G.  Wm.  Molloy,  Mr.  Albert  W.  Butter- 
worth,  Mr.  Frank  L.  Estabrook,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Martin  B.  Young,  Miss  M.  R.  S.  Young,  Miss 
Elizabeth  Rawlings,  Mr.  Chas.  A.  Pearson.  Jr., 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Dooley,  Miss  Louise  H. 
Haesler,  Miss  Amelia  C.  Wight,  Mr.  Milton 
Foreman  and  daug'hters,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jas.  Logan 
Fitts,  Miss  Lydia  A.  Hillyer,  and  others,  number- 
ing about  fifty-six  altogether. 

Concerning  our  relationship  to  foreign  mis- 
sionary work,  mention  must  also  be  made  of  the 
departure  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.   David  Downie.  the 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH,    1892-I917  295 

latter  at  that  time  holding  her  membership  with 
us.  During  Doctor  Brown's  pastorate  they  left 
this  country  to  take  up  their  work  in  Nellore, 
India.  Since  then,  thirty  dollars  has  been  set 
apart  each  year  by  the  Junior  Department  of  the 
Bible  School  for  the  education  and  supjx^rt  of 
a  native  boy — a  perpetual  Andrew  Kennedy  as 
it  were — in  the  Nellore  mission  station.  This 
beneficence  was  instituted  by  the  mutual  friend 
of  the  junior  children  and  the  missionaries,  Mrs. 
M.  G.  Kennedy,  and  it  is  still  carried  on  in  her 
memory. 

On  April  i,  1896,  Doctor  Brown  accepted  a 
call  to  Franklin,  Pa.,  thereby  leaving  us  with  a 
vacant  pastorate.  The  pulpit  was  temporarily 
filled  by  B.  L.  Whitman,  D.  D.,  president  of 
Columbian  University,  Washington,  D.  C, 
whose  preaching  was  also  greatly  blessed.  His 
genial  manner  endeared  him  to  all,  and  the  church 
counted  herself  extremely  fortunate  in  securing 
such  a  faithful  undershepherd  while  there  was  a 
vacancy  in  the  pastorate.  Through  the  efforts 
of  some  of  the  members  and  the  assistance 
of  Doctor  Whitman,  the  church  witnessed  the 
successful  launching  of  the  First  Chinese  Bap- 
tist Church  of  Philadelphia,  with  Rev.  Lee  Hong 
ordained  as  its  pastor.  It  was  a  very  impressive 
sight  when  Doctor  Whitman  led  the  three  for- 
eign-speaking candidates  down  into  the  bap- 
tismal waters  to  confess  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 


296     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

before  their  brethren,  thus  forming  the  nucleus 
of  a  new  Chinese  church,  born  on  American  soil. 

In  1898  a  call  was  extended  to  Rev.  Edwin  M. 
Poteat,  D.  D.,  of  New  Haven,  Conn.  In  answer 
to  the  prayers  of  the  people,  Doctor  Poteat  was 
led  to  accept  the  call,  and  October  21,  1898,  marks 
the  beginning  of  the  fourth  pastorate,  one  des- 
tined to  arouse  fresh  interest  not  only  in  our  own 
local  church,  but  throughout  the  Baptist  commu- 
nity of  Philadelphia  at  large.  Doctor  Poteat  soon 
won  the  esteem  and  love  of  his  congregation,  and 
the  increase  in  attendance  upon  prayer-meetings 
and  preaching  services  marked  the  substantial 
and  steady  progress  of  the  work  of  the  kingdom. 
Missionary  activities  thrived;  the  various  depart- 
ments of  the  church  were  all  well  maintained ;  the 
Bible  School  continued  doing  efficient  work,  the 
average  attendance  for  the  year  being  four  hun- 
dred and  seven,  and  the  Christian  Endeavor  So- 
ciety made  itself  felt  as  a  potent  factor  in  the 
development  of  the  Christian  life  of  the  young 
people. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  December  reports 
were  heard  from  the  following  organizations  at 
that  time  connected  with  the  church : 

Missionary  Endeavor  Society,  Farther  Lights 
Society,  Forty-four  Club,  Memorial  Home  Mis- 
sion Band,  Memorial  Literary  Union,  Christian 
Endeavor  Society,  Women's  Union. 

In  April,    1899,   after  due  consideration,   the 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH,    1892-I917  297 

church  voted  upon  the  adoption  of  the  individual 
communion  service  for  permanent  use.  It  has 
since  proved  in  every  way  satisfactory. 

Memorial  again  had  the  pleasure  of  extending 
her  hospitality  to  the  delegates  of  the  churches 
representing  the  Philadelphia  Baptist  Associa- 
tion, a  number  of  years  having  elapsed  since  that 
privilege  was  assumed.  Fifty-eight  new  members 
were  added  to  our  church  that  year. 

Later  on  a  church  calendar,  containing  the  va- 
rious weekly  appointments,  including  programs 
of  Sunday  morning  and  evening  services,  was 
adopted  and  printed  for  distribution  each  Sunday. 

It  became  necessary  during  the  summer  of 
1900  to  make  extensive  alterations  and  repairs  on 
the  chapel  building.  For  this  purpose  it  was 
necessary  to  raise  twenty-five  thousand  dollars, 
which  was  accomplished  in  the  last  three  weeks 
of  1 90 1  by  a  spirited  canvass  of  the  membership, 
without  resorting  to  any  but  the  most  upright 
method  of  raising  money,  namely,  by  voluntary 
subscriptions.  The  subscription  list  included 
three  hundred  and  twenty-three  names,  every 
family  of  the  church  constituency  being  repre- 
sented thereon.  The  Bible  School,  averaging  that 
year  four  hundred  and  fifty  in  attendance,  sub- 
scribed $1,339,  entering  the  list  by  classes. 

The  pastor's  public  ministrations,  including 
such  topics  as  "  The  Church,"  "  The  Family," 
"  The  Teachings  of  Jesus,"  and  "  The  Life  of  Our 


298     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

Lord,"  proved  him  to  be  a  teacher  as  well  as  a 
preacher.  Following  these  he  began  to  enlarge 
upon  two  great  themes,  viz.,  ''  Individual  Work 
for  Individuals,"  and  ''What  is  Christianity?" 
Out  of  the  first  grew  a  corps  of  personal  work- 
ers who  rendered  valuable  service.  Special 
prayer-meetings  were  held,  and  the  pastor  con- 
ducted a  class  for  beginners  in  the  Christian  life 
through  which  came  most  of  the  accessions  to  the 
church  by  baptism. 

New  features  of  this  period  consisted  in  an 
annual  supper  in  connection  with  the  annual 
meeting,  free  popular  lectures,  and  open-air 
meetings  during  the  warm  weather  in  Ontario 
Park,  also  wharf  meetings  for  sailors  carried  on 
by  the  young  people  of  the  church.  These  all  re- 
sulted in  conversions  and  the  coming  to  us  of  a 
number  of  persons  previously  non-churchgoers. 

In  November,  1902,  Deacon  Greene  called  the 
attention  of  the  church  to  the  matter  of  legacies 
bequeathed  by  Eben  C.  Jayne  to  the  church,  one 
for  two  thousand  dollars  to  the  deacons  for  the 
benefit  of  the  poor,  and  one  for  one  thousand  dol- 
lars for  the  benefit  of  the  Jayne  Library,  in 
memory  of  his  wife,  Ellen  F.  Jayne. 

Another  new  phase  of  work  that  originated 
about  this  time  was  the  Loyalty  Guild,  under  the 
personal  direction  of  Dr.  Frieda  E.  Lippert,  for 
the  children  of  the  junior  age.  Though  it  has 
changed  its  leadership  and  necessarily  its  methods 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH,    1892-I917  299 

several  times  during  the  course  of  events,  it  has 
never  ceased  to  follow  the  lead  of  its  never- 
changing  motto,  ''  Others." 

In  1903  the  pastor  instituted  a  midw^inter  con- 
ference on  aggressive  evangelism,  and  in  this 
connection  there  were  held  special  meetings  of 
five  weeks'  continuance  with  four  other  churches 
followed  by  the  notable  conference  in  April  of 
the  Association  churches  for  discussion,  Bible 
study,  and  prayer.  This  became  a  matter  of  un- 
usual associational  interest,  and  it  was  suggested 
that  similar  assemblies  might  be  made  permanent 
features  in  the  life  of  the  Association ;  but  at  this 
juncture  Doctor  Poteat  was  made  to  feel  the 
appeal  of  ''  a  cry  from  Macedonia,"  when  the 
governing  board  of  Furman  University,  of  Green- 
ville, S.  C,  urged  upon  him  the  presidency  of  the 
university.  Praying  his  way  through  the  situa- 
tion, as  was  his  custom,  he  resigned  his  pastorate 
in  Memorial  Church,  October  24,  1903. 

Indefatigable  in  his  w^ork,  sincere  in  his  Chris- 
tianity, and  kindly  and  lovable  in  his  nature,  the 
force  of  his  character  left  a  lasting  impression 
upon  us,  contributing  to  the  character  of  the 
church  those  qualities  which  rendered  it  capable 
of  holding  its  own  through  the  four  succeeding 
years  when  it  was  without  an  undershepherd. 

The  history  of  an  organization  centers  natu- 
rally about  its  leaders,  but  the  church  of  the  liv- 
ing God,  counting  Christ  as  its  supreme  Head, 


300     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

may  be  guarded  and  guided  in  a  way  that  would 
be  impossible  under  merely  human  conditions; 
so,  all  unknowing,  we  entered  in  October,  1903, 
upon  one  of  the  most  trying  ordeals  that  a  church 
is  called  to  face,  and  the  God  of  our  fathers  held 
us  to  our  task  of  being  faithful,  himself  leading 
us  day  by  day,  month  by  month,  and  year  by 
year. 

Upon  Doctor  Poteat's  departure  our  former 
pastor,  Dr.  Way  land  Hdyt,  was  secured  to  act  as 
stated  supply,  October  20,  1904. 

During  the  summer  of  1905  it  was  deemed 
advisable  to  have  the  main  audience-room  re- 
carpeted  and  the  entire  building  renovated.  Gifts 
to  benevolence  continued  unusually  large,  amount- 
ing in  1906  to  more  than  fourteen  thousand  dol- 
lars, of  which  six  thousand  dollars  and  more  was 
given  to  foreign  missions,  thanks  to  the  gener- 
osity of  Mrs.  Sarah  Trevor,  since  taken  to  her 
reward. 

At  the  close  of  Doctor  Hoyt's  services  as  a 
stated  supply,  the  church  was  fortunate  in  secur- 
ing for  that  position  the  Rev.  Edward  B.  Pollard, 
D.  D.,  of  Crozer  Theological  Seminary,  who 
through  his  kindly  and  sympathetic  ministrations 
and  straightforward  presentation  of  the  gospel 
endeared  himself  to  all. 

At  last  the  long  period  of  waiting  was  over, 
and  on  October  i,  1907,  the  church  greeted  a 
pastor  once  more  in  the  person  of  William  Hollo- 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH,    1892-I917  3OI 

way  Main,  D.  D.  Doctor  Main  was  installed  as 
pastor  at  a  largely  attended  service,  at  which 
former  pastors  Doctor  Henson  and  Doctor  Hoyt, 
also  Doctor  Pollard  and  Dr.  J.  Henry  Haslam 
made  addresses  of  welcome. 

On  the  first  Sunday  in  January,  1908,  the 
church  pledged  sufficient  funds  to  cover  expenses 
for  the  year,  and  subscriptions  were  received  from 
a  larger  proportion  of  the  members  than  on  any 
former  occasion. 

In  February  a  Home  Week  was  observed, 
which  brought  our  members  into  a  close  bond  of 
fellowship.  An  Advisory  Committee,  consisting 
of  the  pastor,  deacons,  trustees,  and  ten  addi- 
tional male  members,  was  established  to  promote 
the  welfare  of  the  church.  The  young  people's 
meetings  were  held  uninterruptedly  during  the 
year,  and  the  weekly  prayer-service  of  the  church 
was  combined  with  theirs  during  the  summer 
months.  One  new  feature  in  the  work  of  the 
Bible  School  in  this  period  was  the  organization 
•of  a  teacher-training  class  in  charge  of  Miss 
Florence  H.  Darnell. 

Sunday-evening  musical  services  were  held 
during  the  winter  of  1908- 1909.  Illustrated  lec- 
tures by  the  pastor,  and  musical  and  literary  en- 
tertainments were  also  given  regularly  through- 
out the  season. 

A  monthly  paper  called  the  "  Memorial  Her- 
ald "  was  started  in  December,  its  object  being 


302     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

to  help  the  members  and  outsiders  to  keep  in 
touch  with  the  church  work. 

At  the  annual  men's  meeting,  held  in  the 
fall,  a  New  England  dinner  was  furnished  by 
the  pastor,  at  which  time  a  Men's  League  was 
formed,  with  the  intention  of  binding  together 
for  work  all  the  men  of  the  church  and  Bible 
School. 

The  benevolent  contributions  were  now  sys- 
tematized, and  the  receipts  apportioned  among  the 
different  objects  on  a  percentage  basis.  On  No- 
vember 21,  1909,  known  as  Jubilee  Sunday,  the 
church  by  united  and  vigorous  effort  secured  sub- 
scriptions sufficient  to  cover  the  entire  amount 
of  indebtedness.  A  plan  was  also  put  into  opera- 
tion, adopting  the  weekly  system  of  contributing 
to  world-wide  missions. 

The  Bible  School  now  started  on  a  new  career. 
Owing  to  the  previous  resignation,  in  1906,  of 
Mr.  Robert  M.  Mackay,  acting  superintendent, 
after  having  served  in  that  capacity  for  eight 
years  of  continuous  service,  the  position  was  tem- 
porarily filled  by  Deacon  G.  Gerald  Evans,  whose 
willingness  to  serve  at  a  critical  hour  proved  his 
utter  loyalty  to  the  school,  and  won  the  gratitude 
of  all  concerned.  Feeling  that  he  could  not  hold 
the  office  permanently,  he  resigned,  and  the  Rev. 
Hugh  T.  Musselman  was  elected  to  take  his  place. 
At  the  same  time  Mrs.  C.  H.  Barber  came  into 
our  midst,  having  been  appointed  Sunday  School 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH,    1892-I917  303 

visitor.  Her  work  among  us  speaks  for  itself, 
and  we  as  a  Bible  School  can  in  no  wise  estimate 
the  value  of  her  devotion  and  love  for  ''  the 
church  and  the  child." 

Mr.  Musselman  remained  with  us  for  but  a 
brief  period  and  was  succeeded  by  your  present 
superintendent,  Mr.  George  L.  Estabrook,  under 
whom  the  Bible  School  has  come  to  be  the  verita- 
ble right  arm  of  the  church.  Mr.  Estabrook  has 
also  served  Memorial  Church  in  the  office  of 
treasurer  since  1896,  rounding  out  a  period  of 
twenty-one  years  in  this,  our  fiftieth,  anniversary. 

It  is  of  interest  to  recall  some  of  the  sermon 
topics  used  from  time  to  time  by  the  pastor. 
Doctor  Main,  such  as : 

*'  The  Family  that  Lives  in  the  Basement," 
"  Pilgrim's  Progress,"  ''  Heroes  and  Heroines  of 
the  Bible,"  '*  Voices  of  Nature,"  "  Weaponless 
Warfare,"  "  From  Shepherd  Staff  to  Kinglv 
Scepter,"  "  The  Cross." 

A  shadow  fell  over  the  church  at  this  time  ow- 
ing to  the  death  of  our  former  pastor,  Dr.  Way- 
land  Hoyt.  It  was  felt  to  be  the  first  break  in  the 
ranks.  Since  then  Dr.  P.  S.  Henson  has  also  en- 
tered the  homeland.  '^  They  do  rest  from  their 
labors  and  their  works  do  follow  them." 

In  March,  191 1,  Memorial  held  special  union 
services  with  Gethsemane  Church  and  Fifth 
Church,  which  proved  to  be  of  spiritual  uplift  to 
all  who  attended.    The  Northern  Baptist  Conven- 


304     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

tion  and  the  Baptist  World  Alliance  were  also  a 
blessing  to  us  and  strengthened  our  denomina- 
tional ties. 

There  was  a  large  number  of  organizations  in 
the  church  at  this  period  of  our  history;  those 
performing  important  parts  in  the  united  activity 
were  the  pastor's  choir  of  children,  to  whom  he 
preached  an  object  sermon  at  the  Sunday-morn- 
ing service ;  the  Loyalty  Guild  and  pastor's  train- 
ing class,  meeting  every  Monday  afternoon ;  the 
Memorial  Brotherhood,  meeting  on  Friday  night ; 
the  Women's  Union  and  Dorcas  Society;  the 
Young  People's  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor; 
added  to  which  were  social  features,  such  as  the 
Mandolin  Club,  Men's  and  Women's  Glee  Clubs, 
uniting  later  as  a  choral  union,  which  for  several 
seasons  rendered  special  oratorio  work  at  Easter- 
time  and  on  other  special  occasions  in  the  calen- 
dar of  church  services. 

A  Red  Letter  Day  was  celebrated  October  6, 
19 1 2,  our  pastor's  fifth  anniversary,  when  the 
church  treasurer  in  the  presence  of  the  congrega- 
tion burnt  paid  notes  amounting  to  $12,500,  thus 
effacing  the  last  vestige  of  church  debt.  In 
January,  19 13,  current  expenses  for  the  coming 
year  having  been  provided  for  in  the  usual  way, 
viz.,  by  rents  and  sittings  and  voluntary  contribu- 
tions, one  thousand  dollars  was  donated  to  start 
an  Endowment  Fund,  which  in  this,  our  jubilee, 
year  aggregates  four  thousand  dollars. 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH,    1 892- 19 1 7 


O'-'O 


Another  interesting  occasion  was  a  banquet  to 
the  ladies  of  the  church.  Nearly  two  hundred 
ladies  were  entertained  and  served  by  the  men  of 
the  church. 

A  summer  Bible  School  was  conducted  during 
July  and  August  of  19 13,  and  union  services  with 
four  neighboring  churches  were  held  with  satis- 
factory results  in  strengthening  our  mutual  influ- 
ence and  cooperation.  Under  the  direction  of 
Superintendent  George  L.  Estabrook,  assisted  by 
Brethren  Evans,  Warner,  Knabe,  and  Barber,  the 
Bible  School  continued  to  make  progress  and  an 
Intermediate  Department  was  formed,  meeting  a 
need  which  had  for  some  time  been  impressing 
itself  as  of  growing  urgency. 

In  order  to  bridge  the  gaps  in  the  organiza- 
tional system  of  the  church  two  new  features  were 
added :  a  Girls'  Fellowship  Club,  admitting  all 
girls  over  thirteen,  and  a  Women's  A.  W.  T. 
(All  Work  Together)  Society,  the  latter  taking 
the  place  of  the  Dorcas  Society  of  the  early  days. 
Added  to  this  was  the  Young  Women's  Home 
and  Farther  Lights  Society  (since  then  organized 
into  a  chapter  of  the  World  Wide  Guild),  and  the 
Women's  Missionary  Union,  necessarily  main- 
tained in  order  that  we  might  not  lose  our  point 
of  contact  with  the  extension  work  of  the 
kingdom. 

Memorial  Home  Week  was  observed  by  the 
church  November  9-15,  1913,  and  later  on  in  the 


306     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

month  a  union  Thanksgiving  service  with  out- 
side churches  was  agreed  upon. 

During  May  and  June  of  19 14  we  departed 
from  our  usual  custom  somewhat  by  instituting  a 
four  o'clock  Vesper  Service  to  take  the  place  of 
the  regular  evening  service,  the  object  being  to 
bring  the  Bible  School  into  closer  touch  with  the 
church. 

In  September,  19 14,  after  a  period  of  twenty- 
five  years  of  continuous  activity  in  the  Bible 
School,  Mrs.  A.  F,  Hand  retired  from  her  posi- 
tion as  superintendent  of  the  Primary  Depart- 
ment, to  be  succeeded  by  Miss  E.  Madeleine 
Barber. 

An  addition  to  the  Bible  School  was  brought 
about,  following  the  Billy  Sunday  campaign  in 
191 5,  which  resulted  in  the  Henson  Memorial 
Bible  class,  led  by  Deacon  Saull.  This  year  was 
marked  with  the  spirit  of  service  as  signified  by 
the  fruitage  of  the  largest  number  of  baptisms  in 
Doctor  Main's  eight-year  pastorate.  Contrasted 
with  former  years  was  the  large  number  of  adults 
baptized,  showing  an  awakening  in  the  lives  of 
those  who  had  not  heeded  the  voice  of  God  in 
their  earlier  days. 

Mobilization  Week  was  observed  by  the  church 
the  second  week  of  January,  19 16,  and  on  Wed- 
nesday evening,  March  15,  19 16,  Dr.  David 
Spencer  led  the  prayer-meeting,  giving,  by  re- 
quest, "  Recollections  of  Philadelphia  Baptists." 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH,    1 892- 19 1 7  307 

On  the  first  of  October,  191 6,  having  completed 
nine  years  of  service,  constituting  the  second 
longest  term  of  any  one  of  the  five  pastors  of 
Memorial  Baptist  Church,  Doctor  Main  severed 
his  connection  with  us  to  assume  ministerial 
duties  in  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Chicago,  for 
the  second  time  in  his  career  filling  a  pulpit  in 
a  church  that  had  been  formerly  occupied  by 
Doctor  Henson. 

Prior  to  the  expiration  of  Doctor  Main's  pas- 
torate, it  was  deemed  wise  to  relieve  our  time- 
honored  sexton,  Mr.  Peter  L.  Snyder,  from  active 
service,  so  by  action  of  the  church  he  was  retired, 
out  of  deference  to  nearly  fifty  years  of  faithful 
stewardship. 

In  order  to  fit  herself  for  the  new  problems 
and  difiiculties  confronting  her,  the  church  ob- 
served a  week  of  prayer  from  November  5-12, 

19 16,  in  which  pastors  of  neighboring  churches 
took  a  kindly  and  active  interest. 

One  of  the  blessings  vouchsafed  to  Memorial 
has  been  the  long  periods  of  constant  loyalty  on 
the  part  of  a  number  of  her  officers  and  members. 
Among  such  are  the  late  Thomas  M.  Greene, 
who  held  the  office  of  deacon  since  her  organiza- 
tion, and  who  passed  out  of  this  life  in  September, 

19 1 7,  just  prior  to  the  celebration  of  her  fiftieth 
anniversary;  and  Mr.  Charles  N.  Selser,  who 
united  with  the  church  on  March  2,  1868,  and  is 
now  the  president  of  the  Board  of  Trustees. 


308     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

The  list  of  constituent  members,  who  lived  to 
celebrate  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  Memorial 
Church,  is  as  follows  : 

Mrs.  Anna  F.  Hand, 
Miss  Susan  M.  James, 
Miss  Emily  A.  Kerns, 
Mrs.  Clementina  M.  Matlack, 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  M.  Rawlings, 
Miss  Sallie  L.  Rumble, 
Miss  Anna  M.  Watson. 

Having  passed  the  fiftieth  milestone,  we  now 
enter  into  the  gates  of  the  future  with  thanksgiv- 
ing and  into  the  courts  of  the  unknown  with 
praise,  confident  that  the  mercies  of  our  God  en- 
dure forever.  Dr.  William  Russell  Owen,  who 
came,  in  answer  to  the  call  of  an  undivided  peo- 
ple, to  be  our  pastor  in  February,  191 7,  is  stirring 
in  our  hearts  *'  the  positive  note  in  Christianity." 

In  an  address  given  by  him  during  Jubilee 
Week  he  paid  a  beautiful  tribute  to  a  certain 
group  of  individuals  to  whom,  alas!  he  lamented 
that  oftentimes  little  credit  is  given,  viz.,  to  the 
devoted  and  helpful  wives  of  our  pastors,  their 
silent,  prayerful  allies. 

"  For  who  will  hearken  unto  you  in  this  mat- 
ter ?  but  as  his  part  is  that  goeth  down  to  the  bat- 
tle, so  shall  his  part  be  that  tarrieth  by  the  stuff : 
they  shall  part  alike." 

Encompassed  about  by  enemies,  without  and 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH,    1892-I917  309 

within,  called  upon  to  send  her  sons  to  bear  the 
brunt  of  a  great  world  war,  the  church  must  stand 
firm,  taking  Christ  as  her  eye-mark,  remembering 
that  "  The  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace, 
longsuffering,  gentleness,  goodness,  faith,  meek- 
ness, temperance:  against  such  there  is  no  law." 

Such  was  the  motive  of  the  woman  from  whose 
loyal  act  of  devotion,  in  anointing  Jesus'  feet,  this 
church  was  named.  May  her  spirit,  proving  her 
love  for  her  Master,  be  reincarnated  in  our  midst 
in  the  lives  of  each  and  all  of  us. 


FIFTIETH  ANNIVERSARY 
MEMORIAL  BAPTIST  CHURCH 


1867  1917 

FIFTIETH  ANNIVERSARY 

OF 

MEMORIAL  BAPTIST  CHURCH 

Broad  and  Master  Streets,  Philadelphia 
October  2 1-28,  1917 

PASTORS 

P.  S.  Henson,  D,  D 1867  to  1882 

Wayland  Hoyt,  D.  D 1882  to  1889 

T.  Edwin  Brown,  D.  D 1890  to  1896 

Edwin  M.  Poteat,  D.  D.  < 1898  to  1903 

William  H.  Main,  D.  D 1907  to  1916 

William  Russell  Owen,  D.  D 1917 

Sunday,  October  21,  19 17. 

■    ANNIVERSARY 

Public  Worship. — 10.30  a.  m. 
Sermon  to  the  Junior  Church. 

By  William  H.  Main,  D.  D. 
Sermon,  "  Finality  of  Jesus." 

By  Edwin  M.  Poteat,  D.  D. 
T,  Edwin  Brown,  D.  D.,  will  be  present. 


314     THE    POSITIVE    NOTE    IN    CHRISTIANITY 

Bible  School. — 2.30  p.  m.    In  the  main  auditorium. 

Special  services  in  which  all  living  Pastors  vi^ill  par- 
ticipate. 

B.  Y.  P.  U.— 7.00  p.  m. 

Miss  McKean,  recently  of  Siam,  will  speak  on  "  Work 
Among  Lepers." 

Evening  Worship. — 7.45  p.  m. 

Sermon,  "  The  Unimpeached  Bible." 

By  William  H.  Main,  D.  D. 

Monday,  October  22 — 8  p.  m. 

Greetings  from  Philadelphia  Baptists  by  Hon.  Ernest  L. 
Tustin,  who  will  introduce  Dr.  Carter  Helm  Jones,  of 
Seattle,  Wash.  Doctor  Jones  will  lecture  on  "  Baptist 
Leadership  in  Democracy,"  followed  by  a  reception  to 
the  Baptists  of  Philadelphia. 

Tuesday,  October  23 — 8  p.  m. 

Social  Gathering. 

Greetings  from  former  pastors  and  Rev.  A.  E.  Harris, 
D.  D.,  pastor  of  the  Bethlehem  Baptist  Church,  with 
the  home-coming  of  former  and  present  members. 

Wednesday,  October  24 — 8  p.  m. 
Dr.  Robert  E.  Speer  on  "  The  Deity  of  Jesus." 

Thursday,  October  25 — 8  p.  m. 
The  King's  Business  League. 
Lecture  with  one  hundred  slides  on  Japan. 

By  the  president,  Mr.  Charles  W.  Shelmire- 


FIFTIETH    ANNIVERSARY  315 

Friday  and  Saturday,  October  26,  27. 
Baptist  Young  People's  Institute. 

Doctor  White  from  Chicago,  Frank  Leavell  from  At- 
lanta, Doctor  Chalmers  and  Mr.  A.  H.  Vautier  from 
Philadelphia. 

Sunday,  October  28. 
10.30  Sermon,  by  T.  Edwin  Brown,  D.  D. 
7.45  Sermon,  "  The  Church  and  the  Child." 

By  Dr.  Edward  B.  Pollard. 


STATISTICAL  RECORD  OF  MEMORIAL  CHURCH  FOR 
FIFTY  YEARS 


Received 

V 

1 

1 

c 

> 

1 

1-. 

u 

0 

B 

a. 

u 

U2 

4) 

n 

"rt 

V 

Pi 

^ 

M 

I 

^ 

^ 

g 

1867 
1868 

P.   S.  Henson    

P.   S.  Henson   

200 
281 

Organized 
27        6s 



7 

no  record 

1868 

P.   S.  Henson    

375 

54 

47 

3 

no  record 

1870 

P.    S,   Henson    

407 

10 

23 

15 

$1,500.00 

$9,128.03 

1871 

P.   S.   Henson    

S13 

lOI 

61 

21 

i,339-o8 

no  record 

1872 

P.    S.    Henson    

534 

III 

33 

II 

1,741.50 

8,241.50 

1873 

P.    S.   Henson    

537 

39 

26 

23 

702.28 

15.877.59 

1874 

P.    S.    Henson    

572 

45 

17 

26 

2,247.00 

16,972.00 

1875 

P.    S.  Henson    

564 

4 

16 

18 

2,673.00 

29,678.00 

1876 

P.    S.   Henson    

624 

36 

48 

16 

2,467.52 

25,467.52 

1877 

P.    S.    Henson    

632 

20 

15 

18 

3,284.25 

15,284.25 

1878 

P.    S.    Henson    

637 

22 

19 

34 

3,317.80 

14.953.80 

1879 

P.    S.    Henson    

621 

19 

15 

18 

2,727.20 

12,727.2a 

1880 

P.    S.   Henson    

642 

25 

21 

6 

3.409.55 

40,474.73 

1881 

P.    S.   Henson    

650 

16 

19 

16 

1,986.00 

23,926.00 

1882 

Wayland    Hoyt    

650 

17 

22 

24 

2,264.00 

13,963.00 

1883 

Wayland    Hoyt    

701 

21 

52 

12 

4,451.00 

19,260.63 

1884 

Wayland    Hoyt    

745 

41 

35 

24 

5,447.83 

18,644.83 

188s 

Wayland    Hoyt    .... 

802 

54 

42 

27 

5,099.69 

18,110.37 

1886 

Wayland    Hoyt    .... 

827 

40 

22 

30 

4,588.48 

18,937.51 

1887 

Wayland    Hoyt    

884 

69 

40 

20 

5,233-88 

24,582.50 

1888 

Wayland    Hoyt    .... 

888 

31 

12 

26 

5,761.74 

25.643.30 

1889 

Wayland    Hoyt    

895 

42 

22 

20 

5,012.38 

19,858.11 

1890 

T.    Edwin    Brown    .  . 

857 

6 

19 

35 

5,951.96 

20,707.80 

1 89 1 

T.    Edwin    Brown    .  . 

846 

34 

16 

47 

5,358.37 

20,455.15 

1892 

T.    Edwin    Brown    .  . 

821 

21 

22 

24 

5.524.17 

30,242.66 

1893 

T.    Edwin    Brown    .  . 

815 

22 

21 

44 

5,129.14 

17,720.24 

1894 

T.    Edwin   Brown    .  . 

807 

18 

21 

35 

4,940.30 

20,455.15 

1895 

T.    Edwin    Brown    .  . 

787 

19 

14 

17 

5.825.18 

30,268.22 

1896 

B.  L.  Whitman,  Spl. 

697 

25 

II 

72 

1,470.70 

15,029.05 

1897 

B.  L.  Whitman,  Spl. 

677 

9 

12 

23 

2,323.69 

12,024.70 

1898 

E.    M.    Poteat    

696 

17 

22 

10 

4,087.72 

14,891.64 

1899 

E.    M.    Poteat    

711 

24 

30 

23 

5,651.94 

21,089.98 

1900 

E.    M.    Poteat    

702 

15 

12 

17 

9,380.03 

28,131.95 

1 90 1 

E.    M     Poteat    

698 

2.2 

14 

16 

6,718.95 

33,304.60 

1902 

E.    M.    Poteat    

705 

30 

5 

14 

4,822.87 

37,086.69 

1903 

E.    M.    Poteat    

703 

17 

6 

II 

4,026.15 

37.641.98 

1904 

Wayland    Hoyt,    Spl. 

676 

17 

3 

22 

6,441.43 

22,348.24 

1905 

Wayland    Hoyt,    Spl. 

663 

15 

3 

13 

6,788.77 

20,096.19 

1906 

E.    B.    Pollard,    Spl. 

662 

II 

6 

7 

10,428.89 

22,945.71 

1907 

W.   H.   Main    

625 

I 

I 

26 

12,876.73 

24,387.98 

1908 

W.   H.   Main    

668 

46 

25 

12 

9,761.60 

19,669.47 

1909 

W.   H.    Main    

664 

20 

2 

6 

2,6si.29 

16,042.22 

1910 

W.  H.   Main    

666 

II 

10 

3 

3,061.81 

16,670.96 

1911 

W.   H.    Main    

688 

26 

15 

9 

2,939.81 

26,022.76 

1912 

W.   H.   Main    

688 

10 

7 

10 

5,822.77 

18,397.80 

1913 

W.   H.   Main    

682 

15 

3 

12 

2,448.66 

15.452.97 

1914 

W.  H.    Main    

716 

25 

13 

7 

3.278.69 

16,299.66 

1915 

W.    H.    Main    

747 

57 

6 

9 

2,291.63 

15,591.99 

1916 

W.   H.   Main    

743 

18 

II 

10 

4,744.19 

15.550.66 

1917 

W.    R.   Owen    

762 

31 

8 

5 

3.024.93 

15,282.07 

1 

Totals     

1.427 

i,oio| 

954 

$213,026.55 

$975,539.36 

B458  TB^  321 

ll-lB-00  32180      MS 


Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  01132  1744 


